Zoe Morgan was murdered by her “obsessed” ex-boyfriend in Wales. Picture: South Wales Police

After ambushing his two victims outside their workplace in Wales and stabbing them to death, Andrew Saunders, 21, sent his dad a message saying, “Thanks for being a pathetic, useless father. Just killed two people. Cheers.”

Saunders, who was 20 at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to killing Lee Simmons, 34, and 21-year-old fashion graduate Zoe Morgan.

He lay in wait for the couple before setting upon Mr Simmons first, as Miss Lee desperately tried to pull him off.

As she tried to flee the frenzied attack he shouted, “I’m coming to you next b****”, before chasing after her and stabbing her eight times.

A sentencing hearing in Cardiff received evidence about the crime on Monday, The Sun reports.

Miss Morgan and Mr Simmons, who worked together at a shop called Matalan in Cardiff City Centre, were found dead in Queen Street on September 28 at about 5.50am.

Mr Simmons, from Grangetown, was a sales assistant at the store and Miss Morgan, from Llandaff North, was a visual merchandiser.

Saunders, 20, was arrested at his family’s £1 million ($1.6 million) home outside the city within an hour and charged with the double murder after detectives found a blood covered knife on the kitchen table of the home.

Prosecuting, Philip Bennett QC told Cardiff Crown Court that Miss Morgan and Saunders had been in a relationship from June 2014 until July 2016, when she split up with him.

“Mark Morgan, her father, stated it was obvious from very early on in the relationship that Andy was very controlling to Zoe,” Mr Bennett said.

On one occasion, Miss Morgan told her father that Saunders had “grabbed her around the throat” during an argument, the prosecutor added.

She later met warehouse worker Mir Simmons after working shifts together at Matalan and he lovingly dubbed her “My Tinkerbell”.

When Miss Morgan told Saunders their relationship was over, he accused her of cheating on him, adding: “You are definitely chatting to someone else. I will kill whoever it is.”

He bombarded Miss Morgan with messages threatening to kill LMr Simmons, but also saying: “I love you.”

The court heard that Saunders plotted the killing. He watched a video called 10 people who got revenge on cheaters and purchased two knives and latex gloves.

He went on to search online for “16 steps to kill someone and not get caught”, “how long do murders get in prison?”, “how to get a gun illegally UK” and “three easy ways to make a bottle bomb (with pictures).”

The court heard he also searched “how to knife someone’s neck” and “how to slit someone’s neck.”

Before he set off to commit the murders Saunders left letters saying: “I think ISIS are the good guys most of the time and that’s pretty messed up. No one will forget me.”

Mr Bennett said Saunders first confronted Mr Simmons just before 6am on the Cardiff street as he walked Miss Morgan to the store.

He added: “He stabbed him in the chest with the knife. Mr Simmons was saying ‘Stop, stop, stop’. Zoe Morgan tried to pull the defendant off Mr Simmons.

“But he turned to her to say “Get the f*** off me you f***ing c***. I’m coming to you next b****.”

CCTV footage showed how Miss Morgan desperately tried to escape after she battled to pull Saunders off Mr Morgan.

She can be seen running to a Boots store where Saunders caught up with her and punched her “full force” before brutally stabbing her. Both victims were stabbed eight times.

Miss Morgan lived with her parents Mark, 49, and Julie, 48, and brother Nathan, 23, in Llandaff North, Cardiff.

Lee Simmons and Zoe Morgan were fatally stabbed. Picture: FacebookSource:Supplied

Her mother Julie Morgan, told the court: “Since losing Zoe our world has been turned upside down. I think about her constantly and how she must have suffered. She was a beautiful, bright and hardworking girl. She was a real home bird.

“We now struggle to stay in our own home as everything reminds us of her. Her father Mark struggles to hide his upset. All our dreams and plans are ruined. He has not only taken Zoe from us but destroyed our lives.

“Since Zoe’s death, nothing seems to look the same. I feel sick at the thought of what happened there. She may not be here with us but she will always stay with us through life.”

Mr Simmons’ and Miss Morgan’s romance blossomed at the store in Cardiff’s busy Queen Street shopping centre and they were described as “being in the first flush of romance”.

Mr Simmons had worked at the store since it opened in October 2014 and became the retailer’s first ever UK high street store.

Mr Simmons’ father Alfread said in a statement to the court: “My family and I will forever grieve this awful loss. Lee found love in Zoe and I’m so happy for that. Lee was only 33 years old and I should have gone before him. I can’t look at the photographs I have of Lee as a child, it hurts too much. I loved him so much. I only ever had one child and I cannot bring back what has gone.”

Saunders was described as a “gentle giant” by shocked former schoolmates after his arrest over the double murder.

Defence barrister Winston Roddick said: “He is genuinely remorseful for what he has done and more than once said he wishes to turn the clock back.”

The sentencing will resume on Tuesday.

This story originally appeared in The Sun and has been republished here with permission.