Leigh Park murder trial: 'Dark and twisted' Shaye Groves who stabbed Frankie Fitzgerald 22 times in the neck and chest found guilty of murder

Shaye Groves, 27, denied murdering Frankie Fitzgerald, 25, during a frenzied knife attack at her Botley Drive, Leigh Park, home on July 17 – pleading self-defence after she stabbed the Portsmouth dad 22 times in the neck and chest as he slept. During the trial, the defendant changed her story and said she was attempting to fight him off after he pinned her on the bed as she struggled to breathe following a violent row that erupted over messages to other people on their phones.

But despite her protestations of innocence, jurors found Groves guilty after a four-week trial at Winchester Crown Court. The 11 jurors – made up of seven women and four men – retired to consider their decision on Monday before returning their verdict four days later.

Groves smiled as she was taken away by officers. Judge Timothy Kerr said she will be sentenced on Wednesday.

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During the trial, the court heard the mum-of-one, who suffers from bipolar and complex PTSD resulting in her self-harming, had framed pictures of serial killers on her bedroom wall with knives, books about gangsters and a BB gun in her drawer. She described herself as ‘dark and twisted’.

Prosecutor Steve Perian KC said the defendant was a ‘manipulative, possessive and jealous woman’ with the ‘killing very likely to be a crime of passion driven by her jealousy’. Cunning Groves had attempted to get away with murder by cleaning her room afterwards, making up a ‘false alibi’ that ‘Frankie had walked out on me’ in a text message to her friend Vikki Baitup, and moved bin bags under the body before telling her faltering housemate: ‘You can’t crack, you’re an accomplice.’

Groves then video-called Ms Baitup and ‘giggled’ as she showed her horrified friend the dead body and crime scene. During the call, Groves said she had stabbed her lover when he was asleep but admitted changing her story during the trial – claiming he was actually awake and had attacked her. ‘I video-called (Ms Baitup) and told her what happened. I actually told her he was asleep when I stabbed him. I did not tell her what I told the court,’ she told jurors.

Quizzed why she did not tell Ms Baitup the truth, Groves said: ‘I didn’t want Vikki to say, “I told you he would attack you”. I didn’t want her to be right.’ Groves also said she ‘didn’t want to tarnish (Mr Fitzgerald’s) reputation’.

But tellingly she went on to admit: ‘I lost control for a second…longer than a second to be honest. It was over in a matter of seconds.’ She confessed to jurors she plunged the Celtic dagger into Mr Fitzgerald’s heart to stop the ‘bubbling noise’ when she knew he was dead.

Groves’ lies were exposed to the court as she desperately attempted to reject the truth – that she murdered Mr Fitzgerald. During the trial, Groves had confessed to wanting to ‘stab’ her lover before claiming it was all ‘hot air’. But jurors disagreed and found her guilty of murder.