A man has pleaded guilty to murdering two women and trying to kill two other people in a stabbing in Milton Keynes on Christmas Day.
Jazwell Brown, 49, attacked Joanne Pearson, 38, and Teohna Grant, 24, at an address on Santa Cruz Avenue, Bletchley, on 25 December last year.
He also tried to murder Bradley Latter, 29, and a teenage boy during the incident, in which he was carrying a kitchen knife, and stabbed Pearson’s dog.
Brown appeared in person at Luton Crown Court on Tuesday and spoke only to confirm his identity and admit to two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder during a brief hearing.
The defendant, of Santa Cruz Avenue, also pleaded guilty to one count each of possession of a knife in a public place and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, a Staffordshire bull terrier.
What happened?
Jazwell Brown appearing via videolink at Luton Crown Court charged with two counts of murder following the fatal stabbing in Bletchley on Christmas Day. (PA)
Thames Valley Police officers were called to a block of apartments at about 6.30pm on Christmas Day 2024.
Police said that two women both died at the scene. The teenage boy and Latter were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
In a statement following Brown’s guilty pleas, the Crown Prosecution Service said the knifeman had murdered Pearson and Grant “without warning or provocation” in their shared block of flats.
Brown also stabbed Joanne’s dog, Tilly, who survived her injuries, before he fled the scene. The CPS says he was captured on CCTV and seen by a witness as he left the area.
Responding to emergency calls, Thames Valley Police officers quickly apprehended Brown and brought him into custody where he made several incriminating statements, including “I lost my cool tonight”.
Brown also described the incident as “not self-defence, plain murder, it’s plain murder, not self-defence”,” the CPS added.
Two women, aged 38 and 24, died and a man and a teenage boy suffered serious injuries in a suspected stabbing in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, on Christmas Day. (PA)
Charles Miskin KC, defending, said Brown had shown remorse for his actions and was “profoundly sorry”.
Mr Justice Kerr remanded the defendant into custody to be sentenced at the same court on 22 May.
Celia Mardon, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This was an inexplicable attack which has done irreversible damage – robbing two women of their lives and seriously injuring two others.
“The strength of the prosecution’s case, which featured compelling witness, CCTV and forensic evidence, gave Jazwell Brown little choice but to admit his guilt, and we are pleased that those affected by this tragic event have been spared the process of a trial.
“While we may never know why Brown committed such mindless violence, we must remember the two lives that were needlessly lost.
“Our thoughts remain with the loved ones of Joanne and Teohna, and we hope that today’s result provides them with some closure.”
Brown first appeared in court on 28 December, charged with the two murders.
Well-wishers left flowers near the scene. (SWNS)
‘Bubbly person’
Teohna Grant was described as a “kind, caring young woman” by a friend.
In a fundraising post on GoFundMe to pay for her funeral, Aaron Ivens said: “She was hard-working and was very shy at times, but she was a bubbly person and very ambitious.
“This was a tragic event that has caused so much pain for the family and community around us.”
In the aftermath of the incident, some well-wishers left flowers outside the police cordon.