Son, 36, is jailed for life after murdering his mother, 70
Son, 36, is jailed for life after stabbing his 70-year-old mother to death and Googling ‘how long in prison if I slit someone’s throat’ as he waited for police to arrive
- John Cole searched on Google possible penalties for murdering his mother
- He used the site to discover the sentence for slitting his mother’s throat
- Before killing his mother, Cole sought help from social services for his mother
- He was jailed for 11 years after admitting killing his mother Wendy last year
A man who stabbed his mother to death and Googled ‘how long in prison if I slit someone’s throat’ has been jailed for life.
John Cole, 36, had acted as a full-time carer to his ‘frail’ mother Wendy Cole, 70, before murdering her at their home on May 10, 2021.
In a disturbing 999 call made at 3am, Cole told operators he had ‘done something stupid’ and said: ‘I’ve killed my mum and the dog’.
Cole, who handed himself into the local police station, added: ‘I’ve stabbed her several times, had thoughts in my head, they tell me to do it.’
Police arrived at the family bungalow in March, Cambridgeshire to find a bloodstained knife in the hallway and Wendy with stab wounds in bed, but still alive. She sadly died 30 minutes later.
John Cole, left, Googled potential sentences for slitting someone’s throat ahead of murdering his mother Wendy, 70, right, at their home in Cambridgeshire in May 2021
In Cole’s bedroom was a laptop displaying a Google search which read: ‘If slit someone’s throat how long in prison’.
Further analysis of Cole’s laptop found other searches of ‘how long can you get for murder with knife’ and ‘if I stab and slit someone’s throat how long do I go jail for’.
The computer also had Google searches of: ‘mum murdered’, ‘mum murdered by son with knife’ and ‘son murdered mum with knife’.
Cole was arrested on suspicion of murder and taken to Peterborough City Hospital where he was found to be medically fit and discharged with a diagnosis of anxiety disorder.
He was found guilty of murder last month after a six-day trial at Peterborough Crown Court.
Yesterday, Cole was jailed for life with a minimum term of 11 years before he is considered for release.
Detectives found that Cole, who had lived with his mother for six years, rarely left his home and was concerned over her health deteriorating.
Last year he tried to contact care home companies to house Wendy but told social services he was depressed and had concerns over the cost.
Cole’s sister later told police the family house was clean but that her mother was ‘skin and bone’ and had lost a lot of weight. Wendy was said to be reluctant to move into a care home.
Two days before the murder, Cole broke down while doing food shopping and told a staff member that his mother could no longer do anything.
Cole was jailed for life at Peterborough Crown Court and ordered to serve a minimum of 11 years in prison
Later that day he broke down again during a visit by his sister and said that he couldn’t cope.
A post-mortem examination concluded that Wendy had suffered stab wounds and cuts to her neck but had died from being stabbed three times in the chest.
There were also minor cuts to both her hands suggesting she had tried to defend herself.
DI Rich Stott, of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit (MCU), said: ‘This has been a thorough and extensive investigation under terribly sad circumstances, and I am glad it has reached a conclusion.
‘What Cole did that day was a brutal and horrific act of violence, which saw a woman who was a mother, a friend and a neighbour tragically lose her life. My thoughts and sympathies are with her family.’
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