NEED TO KNOW
- Ewan Methven, 27, has pleaded guilty to the murder of his partner Phoenix Spencer-Horn, 20, after her body was found at the apartment they shared in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2024
- Methven allegedly strangled and stabbed Spencer-Horn to death on before dismembering her body
- The defendant claimed the murder happened during “a psychotic episode” brought on by taking cocaine, alcohol and steroids
A postman has been described in court as the “personification of evil” after he admitted to the brutal murder of his girlfriend in Scotland.
Ewan Methven, 27, pleaded guilty to the murder of Phoenix Spencer-Horn, 20, at the High Court in Glasgow on June 17. Her body was found at the apartment they shared in East Kilbride, Glasgow, in November 2024.
“Methven was subsequently arrested and charged in connection with her death,” the Police Scotland stated in a release.
Methven, who worked with the historic Royal Mail postal service, met Spencer-Horn at at a party two years before her death. They moved into the same top-floor apartment where her body was discovered shortly before the murder, the Daily Mail reported.
The court heard that Methven allegedly choked Spencer-Horn and stabbed her 20 times with one fatal stab wound to the chest, on Nov. 16, 2024, according to the BBC. He then allegedly severed her head and tried to cut off her limbs and torso in an attempt to cover up the killing, according to the outlet.
On the night of her death, Methven texted Spencer-Horn complaining of feeling “lonely” during her work shift. He later returned home after work, ordered a takeaway and waited for her to return so they could eat together, per the BBC.
Spencer-Horn reportedly contacted her mother for the last time at 9:37 p.m. local time that night, as she told her they were having dinner. At around midnight, a downstairs neighbor heard a “loud noise and hurried footsteps,” which “coincided with increased activity recorded in an app measuring steps at 12:13 a.m.,” the court heard, per the Daily Mail.
Methven dialled 999 (the U.K. version of 911) two days after Spencer-Horn’s death on Nov. 18, the BBC reported. He allegedly claimed that the murder occurred during “a psychotic episode induced by cocaine, alcohol and steroids,” of which he claimed he was spiked and said he “totally blacked out.”
Spencer-Horn’s body was later discovered by police in the hallway of the apartment beside two blood-stained knives, while a third “bloodied knife” was found in the bathroom, per the Daily Mail.
A delivery driver reported that Methven “did not appear to be drunk or under the influence” at 8:00 p.m. on the night of the murder, the court heard, according to the BBC.
Methven told police after being arrested, “I could not stay here with her like that. I tried to dismember her. I moved her from the bath and put her there,” the Daily Mail reported.
“Those related to Phoenix and those who are friends are likely to regard Ewan Methven as the personification of evil … he recognises the relatives and friends will never be able to forgive him,” his attorney, Tony Graham, said in court, reported the Daily Mail. “He will not be able to forgive himself. He understands the bereaved will seek an explanation, but he cannot provide an explanation.”
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Methven also pleaded guilty to attempting to defeat the ends of justice. He will be sentenced on Monday, July 14.
PEOPLE has contacted the High Court in Glasgow for comment.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages
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