A woman murdered a churchgoer and dumped her headless corpse more than 200 miles away before forging her will in an attempt to inherit her estate, a court has been told.
Jemma Mitchell, 38, had killed 67-year-old Mee Kuen Chong and stuffed her body inside a blue suitcase which she dragged around the streets of London for two hours as CCTV captured her movements, the Old Bailey heard.
Mitchell had allegedly failed in a bid to extract £200,000 from Ms Chong to pay for repairs to her dilapidated home in Willesden, northwest London.
After Ms Chong changed her mind about the cash gift, Mitchell killed her and disposed of her remains during a 500-mile round trip to Salcombe in Devon in June 2021, the jury was told.
She then set about forging a will on her computer so she could inherit the bulk of Ms Chong’s wealth, the prosecution claims.
The fake will was uncovered in a search of the defendant’s home, prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said.
Ms Chong’s genuine will – leaving her house to her church with the remainder to family and charity – was found at the victim’s home in Wembley, the court was told.
Ms Heer told jurors: “The motive is clear: money.”
The prosecutor alleged Mitchell killed Ms Chong on 11 June 2021 at the victim’s home – after taking a large blue suitcase with her.
Ms Heer went on: “Having killed or at least fatally injured the deceased, she needed to get rid of her body and so she removed it in the blue suitcase.”
Ms Heer said at 1.13pm on 11 June, Mitchell was caught on camera walking from Ms Chong’s home with a suitcase that appeared to be “a lot heavier” than when she arrived.
She was also pulling another suitcase, belonging to Ms Chong, which allegedly held paperwork relating to her financial affairs.
Mitchell was captured on CCTV dragging the bags on the street and through a grass verge for two hours before being picked up by a minicab.
In that time, jurors heard, she had called various cab companies nine times before a driver collected her for the 40-minute journey home.
She was dropped outside her next door neighbour’s house and then transferred the suitcases from the driveway to her home, it is claimed.
Jemma Mitchell entering a service station shop near Bristol. Image from CCTV
The defendant then allegedly hired a car on 26 June last year.
‘Unusual smell’
Mitchell picked up the rental Volvo and was caught on CCTV stowing the large blue suitcase in the boot before setting off for the South West, it is alleged. The car was seen on CCTV at a garage in Malborough.
The footage showed one tyre was “shredded”, jurors were told. Mitchell borrowed a customer’s phone to call a recovery firm. The repairman noticed luggage in the boot but it did not match the description of the blue suitcase.
Ms Heer said the repairman opened a back door and noticed an “unusual smell – sort of musty and damp”.
The car was seen on CCTV later on near the spot where the body was dumped, jurors heard.
It is claimed that Mitchell arrived back at her London home the next day with the blue suitcase.
Mee Kuen Chong. Pic: Devon and Cornwall Police
Holidaymakers found decapitated body
Ms Chong’s decapitated body was found by holidaymakers shortly before 5pm last year on 27 June, and her skull was discovered in nearby undergrowth a few days later.
A post-mortem examination revealed a broken skull caused by “significant blunt force” and 20 rib breaks “most likely” inflicted before death.
Police recovered the blue suitcase from the top of a neighbour’s shed, with tests matching blood on a tea towel inside a pocket to the victim’s DNA, it was claimed.
In a bedroom was the fake will, which purported to leave 95% of Ms Chong’s estate to the defendant for her house project and 5% to Mitchell’s mother, the court also heard.
Mitchell has denied murder, claiming the death had nothing to do with her. The trial continues.
