Husband changes plea and admits murdering wife Hollie Kerrell

A 35-year-old man has admitted murdering his wife after changing his plea on the morning of his trial.

The body of 28-year-old mother-of-three Hollie Kerrell was found in April, four days after going missing from her farm house home just south of Knighton.

Her husband Christopher Llewellyn Kerrell, 35, pleaded guilty at Merthyr Crown Court today.

He had previously pleaded not guilty to the murder or manslaughter of 28-year-old Hollie on April 22.

Judge Mr Justice Morris told Kerrell, of Whitton, near Knighton, he can expect to be jailed for life when he is sentenced, which is expected to be next week.

The family of Mrs Kerrell, who had five sisters, said she “lit up every room she was in”

“There was never a dull moment with our quirky, funny Hollie around,” they said in a statement shortly after her death.

Funeral

“She was the glue that held our family together and she will be missed terribly.”

Mrs Kerrell’s body was found on April 26, four days after she was last seen at her farm house at Whitton, about four miles south of Knighton.

An online fundraising page set up to help Hollie’s family to meet her funeral costs, raised £5,135.

Friend Molly Hawthorne, of Llandegley, said she set up the page on the Just Giving website with the blessing of Hollie’s family, to help them with the unexpected costs.

An initial target of £200 was nearly reached within hours of the appeal being established

Following her death, Knighton county councillor Ange Williams, who has a farm in Knucklas, said: “Hollie was a lovely girl and a great mum.

“I am personally devastated that this can happen in such a close-knit area, to such a lovely person.”