Ex-paratrooper, 36, and 'soulmate' wife, 35, turned their Welsh farmhouse into ... trends now
A 'devoted' married couple who killed themselves in a suicide pact after 'struggling with health conditions' made their home a fortress.
Cassie Collins, 35, and Francis Collins, 36, were discovered on September 11, 2021, by a family member who had become concerned for their welfare.
Mrs Collins, a student nurse, and Mr Collins, a former paratrooper, were said to have been together for 11 years after meeting in a call centre.
The couple were 'joined at the hip', but following the launch of a police investigation against Mr Collins were said to have been worried that everything could be taken from them. Locals told how they would have floodlights out at their fortress-like home all night.
One neighbour told The Sun: 'I know you shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but Collins caused so much misery to so many people around here that I feel compelled to say the world is a better place without him in it.'
Francis and Cassie Collins were discovered on September 11, 2021 by a family member who had become concerned for their welfare
The couple were found at their home on Station Road in Cullompton, Devon, in September 2021
An elderly couple claimed he subjected them to a campaign of terror after they complained about one of his Doberman dogs trying to attack them.
A villager added: 'He'd put a fake machine gun on the bonnet of his Army jeep and park up in front of the couple's home, blaring out loud music.
'He'd threaten them and send them vicious emails from fake accounts, but they knew it was him.'
Mr Collins had previously been handed a 425-day prison sentence after throwing homemade firebombs onto a neighbour's drive.
The firebomb followed a civil dispute over the ownership of a piece of land where they lived in Wales, which also saw Mr Collins bombard the couple with threatening emails. The couple relocated to Cullompton, Devon in late 2020.
An inquest held into the deaths at Exeter coroner's court this week heard that three of their five dogs were also found dead at their home. Police later discovered their two larger dogs had recently been put to sleep at the vets after claims they had been involved in an attack.
The inquest heard that in the lead-up to their deaths the couple had carried out tasks including creating a joint will and sending letters and emails.
In a statement read out during the inquest, Mrs Collins' sister Jodie said the pair had spoken in the past of wanting to end their lives.
She received a letter through the post from her sister on September 11, 2021, in which she apologised for being unable to cope with the pain she was in anymore.
After gaining entry to her home, Jodie found Mrs Collins lifeless in her bed cuddling three of their dogs - a chihuahua and two miniature pinschers - who were also deceased. Mr Collins was found dead in the hallway.
Jodie added: 'Cassie had said a couple of years ago that if there were going to kill themselves they would kill the dogs as well as they wouldn't want anyone else looking after them.'
The dogs were described as being like their 'children' because due to Mrs Collins being in so much chronic pain she was not able to have children. Her sister said she had previously spoken about not being able to live with the pain she was in and that the pending police investigation had left the couple 'really low'.
Mrs Collins, who was born in Exeter, was said to have endured years living in chronic pain due to knee and shoulder injuries that left her unable to work and often bedbound.
She had been referred to NHS service Talkworks and was discharged in August 2021 after reporting she did not have suicidal plans.
Mr Collins, who was born in Hereford, was said to have been diagnosed with adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) while living in the USA and had a long history of depression and anxiety. He had previously made an attempt to end his life.
He was assessed by Talkworks in May 2021 and found to have severe
