Man, 92, admits smothering his wife in a failed suicide pact in Exeter

From the Newshound archive · first published 1 October 2026 · last updated 2 October 2026.

Laurence Billam killed his wife Shirley, 87, at their Millbrook Lane, Exeter sheltered apartment, then turned the same intent on himself. At Exeter Crown Court on Thursday, he denied murder but admitted manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility — a plea prosecutors accepted following psychiatric assessments by three separate doctors. Billam was remanded in custody pending sentencing on 20 November.

A welfare concern brought police to the couple's Exeter home on 19 April, where they discovered Shirley Billam dead.

Three psychiatrists assessed Billam's mental state, and both the Crown Prosecution Service and police concluded his reduced-responsibility plea was appropriate.

Judge James Patrick described it as 'a rather unusual case', adding it 'must be very, very difficult for Mr Billam's family.'