TRAGIC END
Chilling moment obsessed ex-colleague loads his car with murder weapons hours before stabbing model, 23, in neck
Inquest rules horse-lover was unlawfully killed as cops slammed
AN OBSESSED ex-colleague loaded his car with weapons hours before stabbing a model to death.
Gracie Spinks, 23, was knifed in the neck in the picturesque village of Duckmanton, Derbyshire, on June 18, 2021.
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An inquest today ruled she was unlawfully killed by Michael Sellers, 35, who was found dead around two hours later.
On the day of her murder, Sellers was seen carrying a large box of weapons and loading them into his car.
Gracie had reported her ex-colleague Sellers to Derbyshire Police months earlier over stalking concerns but he was rated as low-risk.
In May that year, a rucksack - later found to belong to Sellers - was discovered on a bridle path near Blue Lodge Farm where Gracie kept her beloved horse Paddy.
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A photo shows the haul of weapons it contained - including knives, Viagra, an axe, a hammer and a note that read: "Do not lie".
The bag also contained a Marks & Spencer receipt, which was traced back to one of Sellers' relatives after his death.
During the inquest, jurors were told officers "were not concerned" about the discovery at the time and no further action was taken.
Gracie had first met Sellers when she got a job at a warehouse run by e-commerce firm xbite in April 2020.
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He had been the subject of a number of complaints from female colleagues about his behaviour towards them.
Chesterfield Coroner's Court was told the pair met up outside work on a few occasions but Gracie ended things in December 2020.
Sellers could not accept her choice though and would hound co-workers with questions about the model.
In January 2021, Gracie reported Sellers to the company after seeing him parked in a lay-by where her horse Paddy was stabled.
He was suspended and later dismissed after claiming he believed she had "lied about the nature of the relationship between them".
His obsession turned deadly on June 18, 2021, shortly after Gracie left her home to see her horse in the field.
Horrified witnesses found the model lying on the ground with a man running away from her body.
At first they believed Gracie was attacked by a horse but emergency crews later found a knife near her body.
Sellers was found fatally injured just over two hours after Gracie was declared dead.
The inquest was told she died from a stab wound to the neck and had suffered "catastrophic" bleeding.
Gracie's mum Alison told the court how her daughter's towel is still sitting on the radiator where she left it before she was killed.
She also said Gracie's bed “is not made and a plate and packet of empty crisps lay on her bedside cabinet”.
The mum added: "Her water cup is on the windowsill and her handbag is where she left it and her clothes remain on the floor. I cannot bear to touch anything.”
Jurors were told police had made several errors in its "limited investigation" into the stalking report but were prevented from concluding whether these contributed to Gracie's death.
Returning their conclusion today, where Sellers was referred to as "the supervisor", the foreman said: "Derbyshire Constabulary had admitted the following serious failings.
"However, it could not be concluded that these failings contributed to Gracie's death on June 18 2021.
"It was the supervisor that killed Gracie."
A Prevention of Future Death Report will be issued to Derbyshire Police's Chief Constable and others over the coming days.
Detective Superintendent Darren De’ath said it was clear there were "significant failures" - including how the discovery of the weapons was dealt with.
He also told how the force fully accepts the findings of the inquest.
DS De'ath added: "Put simply, as a force we failed Gracie - and for that I can only offer my own, and the force’s, most sincere apologies.
"We await any further recommendations that may come from the Coroner and will review these in due course. But I want to be clear that, since Gracie’s death in June 2021, significant work has already been completed to tackle the failures that were identified prior to the inquest.
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"There has also, over the last two-and-a-half-years, been significant changes to the ways in which we as a force receive and investigate stalking reports – as well as how we support and safeguard victims of these crimes.
"However, none of this seeks to minimise the failings that we have seen in this case and the force fully accepts the failures that were part of this most tragic set of circumstances."
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