Photo: Essex Police
A U.K. man who previously denied murdering 21-year-old American Mary Wells back in January reportedly admitted to the killing in court this week.
Adam Butt, who lives in Colchester, was arrested and charged with murder at the time.
According totheColchester Gazette, Butt, now 22, denied involvement in the murder during a court appearance last month, but at a hearing held Tuesday, he “admitted manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility,” the outlet reported. Diminished responsibility means that the accused committed the crime while allegedly grappling with a mental disorder that reduced moral culpability.
Butt is currently being held at a psychiatric hospital, with another hearing set for Sept. 3.
It was not immediately clear if Butt has an attorney for PEOPLE to reach for comment. The U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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According toa GoFundMe pagethat was set up in January to help transport her body back to the United States, Wells was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, but graduated high school in Dallastown, Pennsylvania.
“Mary was so kind and selfless, she would give someone the shirt off her back. Mary was quiet and didn’t ask for much. She wasn’t the kind of person that likes to fight or argue. She was very shy,” read the description. “Mary had a tough couple of years. Mary lost her mom due to heath problems and lost her grandmother who took care of her after her mom died 2 years ago.”
Wells has been visiting England for the six months prior to her death, according to the GoFundMe page, and was set to return home on Feb. 8.
source: people.com
