Just as Phillip Nicholson realized the true face of his girlfriend and decided to break up, he was informed by his girlfriend that she was pregnant with his child. Phillip never expected that from this moment, the tragedy of his life would begin.
The suspicious girlfriend
Not long after Phillip Nicholson was born, he was diagnosed with developmental delays. Phillip struggled against fate to be able to integrate with others and have a life like normal people.
Phillip was very affectionate, clinging to his parents and grandparents. But by 2013, at the age of 22, he decided to live independently and announced that he wanted to leave home.
Phillip moved to Bournemouth, Dorset, England, in a complex of apartments. Phillip’s parents believed that here their son would be safe among kind neighbors.
Phillip talked to his parents on the phone every day. The young man said that apart from feeling lonely, everything else was going well.
Soon after, Phillip met a 20-year-old girl named Isabella Gossling through a social media app. Isabella had mild autism and a personality disorder. Phillip felt that this girl was a good person.
Isabella was living in Yeovil, a town about an hour away from where Phillip lived. But this was not a big problem for Phillip. He often arranged to visit his girlfriend.
While their son appeared to be happy, Phillip’s parents felt worried that Isabella was taking advantage of Phillip and bullying him for money.
The love triangle
In the summer of 2014, Isabella began dating another man named Richard Moors (25 years old).
Richard is known to target vulnerable people. Without a stable home, Richard often found ways to stay in their home and use the things he needed.
When Phillip’s parents found out about this, they tried to persuade their son to cut off all contact with Isabella. However, Phillip did not listen.
Isabella’s abuse towards Phillip escalated after she met Richard. Phillip’s father said that his son received many horrible and threatening messages, even death threats.
Isabella and Richard saw Phillip as their cash cow. Isabella once took Phillip to the bank and withdrew a check in her name. The couple also stole £800 from Phillip.
After realizing the true face of his girlfriend, in September 2014, Phillip told Isabella that he decided to end their relationship. However, at this point, Isabella made a shocking claim. She asserted that she was pregnant and the father of the baby was Phillip.
2:00 AM Messages
However, Isabella didn’t just tell Phillip this. She also informed Richard Moors at the same time that the baby was his. Isabella and Richard believed that the only way for them to become a family was to get rid of Phillip.
Richard continued to send messages to Phillip, telling him to leave Isabella alone, or he would kill him. Not only that, they also tried to isolate Phillip from his parents by taking Phillip’s phone and sending horrifying messages to his parents.
Before the murder, Isabella lured Phillip to her apartment by saying that a girl named Amy wanted to meet him. Isabella and Richard then abducted Phillip, but he managed to escape through the bedroom window.
But one day, Phillip’s parents received news that their son had been murdered. Isabella and Richard were arrested just a few hours after Phillip’s body was found in Isabella’s apartment. The murder weapon, a blood-stained knife, was also found in the sink at the crime scene.
According to the police investigation, on May 26, 2015, Isabella and Richard messaged Phillip at 2:00 AM, luring him to Isabella’s apartment.
The shocking audio recording
Surveillance cameras captured the image of the three individuals. When Phillip got off the bus, Isabella and Richard quickly approached to pick him up. Based on their body language, investigators noticed that Phillip seemed hesitant and fearful. He walked slowly behind the other two on the way back to Isabella’s apartment.
Phillip was immediately attacked upon entering the apartment. Isabella even used her phone to record the entire incident.
Isabella told Richard that Phillip had raped her. Both of them took the victim into the bedroom and forced him to confess to the rape. In the shocking 17-minute audio recording, Isabella instructed Richard to do what he needed to do. Phillip was stabbed twice in the back of the neck. Investigators could hear the victim begging for his life and saying that he just wanted to be friends with those harming him.
After Phillip died, the recording continued. Isabella and Richard discussed what to do with the body. The couple plotted to make it look like a suicide and quickly left the apartment. Surveillance footage captured Isabella and Richard holding hands as they walked towards the bus. Richard even proposed to Isabella that day.
Faced with undeniable evidence, Richard confessed to the crime while Isabella blamed everything on her boyfriend.
On November 23, 2015, Isabella appeared in court. She insisted she was innocent. Meanwhile, the prosecution presented evidence of the abuse Phillip had endured over time.
On December 14, 2015, Isabella Gossling was convicted of murder with a life sentence. She will be eligible for parole after serving 19 years. Richard Moors also received a life sentence like his girlfriend. He will be eligible for parole after serving 22 years.
