A 23-year-old philosophy student has been found guilty of murdering her fiancé after she drove at him three times because she lost her temper.
Alice Wood was convicted of the murder of 24-year-old Ryan Watson at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, following a three-week trial, according to a release by Cheshire Constabulary, UK police.
Wood denied murder and an alternative count of manslaughter, claiming her boyfriend’s death was a “tragic accident” and that she did not know he was trapped underneath her car when she drove 158 meters up a road after an argument.
According to police officials, Watson was killed on May 6, 2022, after Wood repeatedly drove her car over him. Witnesses described the incident as a game of “chicken.”
Wood, however, claims she went out to her car after an argument and did not intend to hit Watson.
CCTV presented at the trial shows otherwise, in it Wood is seen reversing the vehicle, hitting Watson’s car, a bin and a bollard, then swerving off the road toward him
Wood told the court she had intended to “scare” Watson because he had threatened her mother but planned to stop when approaching him and was “shocked” when she saw him on the bonnet of the car.
“It was like stepping into a nightmare because I could see Ryan underneath the car. It was like I was in hell; It didn’t seem real,” she said.
She added that she went to a nearby house and requested them to call authorities. “Please phone an ambulance. I think I’ve run over my boyfriend,” she said.Ryan Watson and Alice WoodCheshire Police UK
The CCTV showed the car reverse and then move forward, hitting Watson a second time and knocking him underneath the car before driving away.
At the time of her trial, Wood was allegedly preparing for her final exams for a theology, philosophy and ethics degree.
Detective Inspector Nigel Parr of Cheshire Constabulary said: “The night Ryan died, Wood used her vehicle as a weapon while under the influence of alcohol – deliberately driving at him and even continuing to drive after knocking him down.
“Thankfully, as a result of our investigation and the evidence against her, she has been found guilty of Ryan’s murder.”
During the hearing, David Jones, senior crown prosecutor at CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “Under the influence of alcohol, it was clear that Alice Wood’s jealousy was ammunition enough for her to brutally kill her partner.”
Reports indicate Wood had drunk two glasses of white wine, two rums and a glass of champagne before getting into her vehicle.
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Wood remains in custody until her sentencing on Monday, Jan. 29.