A mentally ill teenager stabbed his grandparents to death because a voice in his head told him to “kill them”, a court heard today.
Tobyn Salvatore subjected Denis and Mary Fell to a merciless knife attack, even cutting off his grandmother’s hand as she tried to protect herself from his crazed onslaught.
He later told psychiatrists he attributed the voice he heard to the “Woman in Black”, a character from a horror film he had watched over 80 times.
Deeply religious Salvatore also told doctors: “I believe if my grandparents died, they would be resurrected” claiming that a quote from the Bible that “all of your dead loved ones will be resurrected” had been in his mind at the time.
The High Court at Livingston was told that Salvatore bought an eight inch, ultra-sharp, kitchen knife and a 10 inch butcher’s knife off the internet two months before the bloodbath, claiming he intended to commit suicide by cutting off his own head.
However, he instead of harming himself used the blades to savagely injure his grandparents after a furious row over a Christmas hamper he had taken up to his room.
The two 73-year-olds died from deep stab wounds to their necks in a bloodbath at their home in Livingston, West Lothian, on Boxing Day 2022.
After the killings, Salvatore calmly changed out of his blood soaked clothing and had a bath before going to the local police station and confessing: “I’ve murdered someone – my grandparents”.
Police Officers who forced entry to the couple’s home at 82 Raeburn Rigg found Denis Fell’s body lying in the hallway. His wife Mary was found lying in the living room.
Her severed hand was found in the hallway to the right of her husband’s foot and a piece of her scalp was recovered from the kitchen floor.
Advocate depute David Dickson revealed that Salvatore claimed he had stabbed his grandmother in the neck as this was the way in which he had intended to kill himself.
He told how Salvatore’s grandfather had bravely stood up and tried to take the knife from his grandson after he stabbed Mrs Fell for the first time.
Salvatore reacted by stabbing his grandfather twice and the pensioner fell to the floor.
Mr Dickson said: “The accused then turned to his grandmother and said “Die!” to her around five times.
“He explained he was feeling angry at this point, as his grandparents were taking longer to die than he thought they would take.
“He explained his grandmother was in the hallway and had both her hands on the living room door handle in an attempt to prevent him approaching her.
“He forced open the door and severed her left hand from her arm with the butcher’s knife.
“His grandmother ran into the kitchen, where he stabbed her repeatedly in the head.
“His grandmother fell to the floor in the living room where he then sat with her.
“She spoke with him and said “why Jay? Why?”
“He said he stayed with her until she died.”
Mr Dickson said Denis Fell came into the kitchen and seized the knife from the accused as he fell.
“Salvatore ran upstairs while his grandfather ran to the front door, opened it and shouted for help three times.
“On recovering the second knife from his bedroom, he pushed past his grandfather to close the door and stabbed him with the second knife into his neck. It was then that his grandfather collapsed.”
Salvatore – now aged 21 and detained in the State Mental Hospital at Carstairs – legally changed his name from Jay Fell in 2016 in a bizarre tribute to fictional brothers Damon and Stefan Salvatore from the Vampire Diaries TV series.
He was originally due to stand trial on two counts of murder, but pled guilty on Wednesday to lesser charges of culpable homicide due to diminished responsibility.
Denis Fell died from an incised wound of the neck which damaged his jugular vein resulting in profuse bleeding which caused death due to hypovolemic shock.
Mary Fell’s cause of death was given as multiple sharp force injuries using severe force.
She suffered at least 11 sharp force injuries to her head and neck which would have caused extensive bleeding and at least seven sharp force injuries to the trunk.
In addition to her left hand being amputated, she and her husband had typical defensive type wounds, in keeping with them raising their arms to defend themselves.
Donald Findlay KC, defending, said a psychiatrist who examined Salvatore had been “very clearly of the view that this was undoubtedly a case of diminished responsibility”.
Judge Lord Young imposed an interim compulsion order confining Salvatore to the State Hospital while a further psychiatric report is prepared pending aa sentencing hearing in Edinburgh on 21 September.
He told the accused: “You have pleaded guilty to the culpable homicide of your grandparents who appear to have provided you with a loving caring home.
“The Crown have accepted that your mental state at the time was such that you acted with diminished responsibility.
“It’s apparent that your treatment is at an early stage. It is continuing and I need to obtain further evidence from the treating psychiatrist and mental health officer before I can decide on disposal.”
A dozen family members of the “close” family attended the court hearing but asked not to be approached for press comment about the case.
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