A person on trial for allegedly stabbing his flatmate to loss of life was appearing out a ‘bizarre fantasy’ of being the titular murderer from online game collection Hitman, a court docket has heard.
Eugen Coman, 34, is accused of murdering 31-year-old Leonid Laboshin within the kitchen of their house in Botley, Oxfordshire, in October final 12 months.
Prosecutors say Coman was both pushed by his fascination with the fictional character, often known as ‘Agent 47’, or by ‘good old fashioned sexual jealousy’ after the sufferer went on a visit with a feminine housemate he was taken with.
The court docket was informed Coman grew to become angered when he noticed Leonid and Mariya Fando sharing a joke over their immigration paperwork, and began knifing the 31-year-old, inflicting 27 wounds.
Mariya ran to a neighbour’s home and police have been known as, discovering Leonid’s physique wrapped up in a sheet within the backyard.
Coman, a plant employee, was tracked to his brother’s house in Witney, the place he was discovered wearing a black swimsuit and tie together with his head cleanly shaven.
Prosecutors described the outfit as ‘rather unusual for killing’ and stated he had requested his brother to shave off his hair the day earlier than Leonid was killed.
Forensic searches of his gadgets uncovered a variety of web searches linked to Hitman’s protagonist, who’s bald-headed and carries out contract killings in a smooth swimsuit.
Coman admits to killing Leonid, a Russian nationwide, however claims he was not in his proper thoughts on the time.
He has pleaded responsible to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished accountability however denies homicide.
Opening the trial at Oxford Crown Courtroom on 1 March, prosecutor Charles Ward-Jackson stated the defendant’s psychological well being is the ‘critical issue in this case’.
He added: ‘The prosecution say there actually are two competing motives for the killing.
‘One is what one might call good old fashioned sexual jealousy; the cause of many killings since Helen of Troy and no doubt before that. It’s a narrative as previous as time.’
Coman had been ‘continually asking her out, being a bit of a pest’, Mr Ward-Jackson added.
The second motive was a need to resemble Agent 47, he continued: ‘There is evidence on the defendant’s pc that he admired and sought to emulate this moderately unsuitable function mannequin.’
Jurors have been informed searches of the home additionally discovered knife with traces of diluted blood and Leonid’s DNA and burnt fragments of his immigration paperwork.
Coman was additionally stated to generally tend to ‘fly off the handle’ and on one event allegedly attacked his landlord when requested for lease.
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