Southsea man accused of murdering Samantha Murphy drank for three days straight while on the run, court hears

A Southsea man accused of murder spent three days drinking non-stop before turning himself in, a court has been told.

Charlie Jeans is on trial for the murder of mum-of-three Samantha Murphy. The 32-year-old’s body was found at a property in Wadham Road, North End, in the early hours of June 5 last year.

Jeans, 30 from Margate Road, Southsea, has denied the charges.

Joanna Martin KC, prosecuting, gave the jury an insight into Jeans’ movements after Samantha was murdered - including spending three days drinking while he was on the run.

She said: “Charlie showed up at Midway Road, Hilsea - we know he turned up because he was seen. It was at that address that he stayed, drinking for the next three days or so.

“The homeowner, Richard Palmer, was not aware of what Jeans had done, or that he was wanted by police, until Saturday morning. When he was told by someone, he spoke to Jeans and got him to hand himself in.

“He did tell Mr Palmer of what had happened. He said he killed Samantha, and that he strangled her with one hand around her neck, the other covering her nose and mouth.

“Mr Palmer convinced Jeans to turn himself in, and phoned 101 for the police to meet him in a park nearby.”

Jeans responded with “no comment” to all questions put to him by police.

When police found Samantha’s body at the address in Wadham Road, they also found a Ring doorbell camera in the dustbin, as well as a broken wine glass, both of which were recovered as evidence.

A post-mortem into Samantha’s death found that the alcohol in her system was more than double the drink-driving limit, but this did not factor into her medical cause of death. External haemorrhaging was found on her skin - under the eyelids, and around her neck and face - consistent with “a sustained application of force”.

Ms Martin added: “We suggest it’s clear from the evidence that they were arguing, and Jeans expressed his anger by saying he would kill her.

“During the course of that argument, we know he grabbed her and put pressure on her neck. She was vulnerable, and he used enough force to stop the oxygen going to her brain, and caused a cardiac arrest.”

In his defence statement, Jeans told the court that in the immediate aftermath, he thought Samantha was “either sleeping or unconscious”, and that he “didn’t appreciate” the severity of her injuries until her returned to the address.

Having left her body in her home, Jeans returned later that night to collect his belongings, the court heard.

Proceeding