By Leon Watson PUBLISHED: 11:12 EST, 23 February 2014 | UPDATED: 11:15 EST, 23 February 2014 A schoolboy has admitted he and his older brother stabbed their stepfather more than 60 times as he slept. Jerome Ellis, 14, admitted that he and 22-year-old Joshua killed Neil Tulley as he lay on the sofa in their living room. Their 'frenzied' attack almost severed the 54-year-old's head. But the pair deny his murder, arguing that they feared for their family's safety after he had apparently threatened their mother. Neil Tulley (left), 54, who was found stabbed to death on the sofa of his home in Guildford, Surrey, in August last year and Jerome Ellis (right), 14, who on trial for murder
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Jerome and Joshua Ellis killed Neil Tulley in Guildford, Surrey
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Their 'frenzied' attack almost severed the 54-year-old's head
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But pair deny murder, saying they feared for their family's safety
@placeholder, now 23, and who suffers from depression, was living as a virtual recluse in the attic at the time.
As the argument became heated, Mr Tulley was alleged to have walked out to the shed and picked up an axe, bringing it inside and threatening @placeholder.