Conrad Iyayi ‘brutally and needlessly’ killed his wife Kathryn Harris, 52, after taking what he believed was methadone and brandy in February 2022, Daily Mail reports.
The next morning, he found Ms Harris face down in a pool of blood and wearing just a T-shirt, Derby Crown Court heard.
Three kitchen knives stained with blood were laid nearby, next to a bottle of open brandy, the court heard.
The couple’s 11-year-old son did not hear the attack ‘so knew nothing about his mum’s death’ when police woke him up that morning, Gordon Aspen KC, prosecuting, said.
‘During the night of February 5, 2022 into the early hours of February 6, this defendant murdered Kathryn by stabbing her to death in the kitchen of their family home,’ Mr Aspen added.
‘It is not necessary to prove this defendant’s precise motive and in truth only two people knew. One of them, Kathryn, is dead and this defendant has consistently refused to reveal the truth.
‘However, there is evidence you will hear that drugs and alcohol he had chosen to take prior to the murder played a part in his actions. Ultimately all we are left with is a brutal killing and a quite needless death.’
Ms Harris, who also has two adult children, worked at a special needs school in Mickleover, Derbyshire. Iyayi dialled 999 from a telephone box at the bottom of his street in Littleover suburb.
He told the operator: ‘Just get the police here straight away. Get the police here, I have killed somebody.’
When asked who he had killed, Iyayi responded: ‘My wife.’ Officers found him with a deep cut to his left hand and blood-stained clothing.
While in the police car, Iyayi asked: ‘What am I under arrest for?’ After being told he was being held for murder, he replied: ‘Oh right.’
Iyayi told officers at the police station he had taken methadone which is prescribed to people who are recovering drug addicts.
The court heard Iyayi made a number of remarks whilst in custody, including: ‘I buy methadone on the dark web. Now you have got a murder, that’s the danger of drugs.’
He said he ingested the drug after 10.30pm on February 5 before realising it was not what he thought it was.
He said: ‘I was hallucinating, my heart was beating making me think I was going to die.
‘I woke up the next morning and walked past the kitchen where I saw my wife. What I thought was a dream must have been reality and I contacted the police.
‘I had no intention of harming Kathryn, prior to this incident we’d had a nice evening cooking together and watching TV.’
