The London police officer arrested for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard pleaded guilty to her murder on Friday, a crime that shocked the UK.
Wayne Couzens, the 48-year-old former Metropolitan Police officer, had previously admitted the kidnapping and rape after pleading guilty on June 8, not submitting a plea on the murder charge, prosecutors said.
Officials announced on Friday that Couzens had pleaded guilty to the murder and would be convicted on September 29.
“This plea is the result of hard work by the prosecution,” said Carolyn Oakley of the Crown Prosecution Service. “The police should be commended for their thorough and tireless investigation into Sarah’s disappearance.”
Everard, a London-based marketing manager, disappeared on the night of March 3rd while walking home from a friend’s house. Couzens was arrested days later, and Everard’s body was found in a wooded area more than 50 miles from where it was last seen. An autopsy revealed compression of the neck as the cause of death.
The young woman’s death sparked a flurry of grief and anger in Britain. On the internet, many women talked about gender-based violence and the lack of security they often feel when going about their lives. A peaceful vigil held in London shortly after the murder drew thousands, but police responded with violence, arrested four women and aroused even greater anger against the same institution that employed Everard’s killers.
In a news conference on Friday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said she and all the police were “sick, upset and devastated” by Everard’s murder and “betrayed themselves” that it was committed by one of their own.
“Sarah was a fantastic, talented young woman with her whole life to go and that was snatched from her,” said Dick. “She was loved very much and is sorely missed by so many people.”
It is still unknown why Couzens murdered Everard. In court, prosecutor Tom Little said they had never met and were “completely strangers” according to the BBC.
He had previously hatched an elaborate lie to explain the events, the BBC reported, falsely claiming that an Eastern European gang threatened his family and forced him to kidnap Everard.
But the real motive for the brutal crime, if any, remains a mystery.
“Couzens lied to the police when he was arrested and to this day has refused to comment,” said Oakley. “We still don’t know what drove him to commit this horrific crime against a stranger.”
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