Colchester murder accused said 'I think I've killed my wife' - trial

Dr Antonella Castelvedere taught English and creative writing at the University of Suffolk

A man accused of murder told his neighbour "I think I've killed my wife", a court heard.

Dr Antonella Castelvedere, 52, was found stabbed to death on the kitchen floor in the couple's home in Colchester, Essex, on 1 June last year.

Tanja Munro said on Wednesday she heard a male voice shouting and then saw Ertan Ersoy holding his stomach and his shirt was "soaked in blood".

Mr Ersoy, of Wickham Road, Colchester, is on trial accused of murder.

The 51-year-old denies the charge but jurors at Chelmsford Crown Court have been told he admits manslaughter.

Prosecutors have already said he stabbed her as a "result of the defendant's anger and jealousy towards his wife".

The victim died of a fatal stab wound to the neck

Ms Munro said she was at home when she heard the male voice shouting, before going outside and seeing the defendant inside his house.

They were standing in the hallway when "he told me, 'I think I've killed my wife'", she said.

Ms Munro claimed Mr Ersoy was "breathing like he was in pain" and was "groaning", adding: "He was concerned about his wife."

Jurors have been told the defendant says his wife stabbed him before she died - but prosecutors say there is "no independent evidence" supporting this claim.

The neighbour said his stomach wounds "weren't gaping open, they were quite clean, there wasn't blood pumping or gushing out".

Dr Antonella Castelvedere was found injured at the couple's house on Wickham Road, Colchester, and died at the scene

Mrs Munro said she tried to preform CPR and did not immediately notice a cut to her neck. She said Mr Ersoy kept saying "my wife".

"I took that to mean 'is my wife OK?'," she added.

"I just shook my head at that point. We didn't speak about anything else."

She said the defendant appeared a "bit disorientated", was not aggressive towards her and that she did not feel threatened.

Christopher Paxton KC has said Mr Ersoy stabbed Dr Castelvedere "many times, causing 15 areas of sharp force injury" to her face, neck, upper chest and to both hands.

The trial continues.