The woman who decapitated her devout Christian friend in an attempt to inherit her money left a chilling hint as to where she dumped the body.
Today (Thursday, October 27) alternative therapist Jemmaa Mitchell, 38, was convicted for the brutal murder Mee Kuen Chong, 67. She will be sentenced tomorrow.
The court heard how Ms Chong had backed out of plans for her to pay for £200,000 worth of repairs on Mitchell’s £4million London home.
Mitchell, a trained osteopath who boasted online of her award-winning skill in human dissection, went to Ms Chong’s house on June 11 last year, the day after she was last seen. Mitchell was seen on CCTV leaving the property carrying a large blue suitcase.
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The prosecution suggested she kept the body at her home until June 26, when she drove to Devon in a hire car with Chong’s decapitated remains stowed in a suitcase.
Chong’s headless body was found by holidaymakers in woodland the following day. A subsequent police search discovered the head a few metres away.
Between June 11 and June 26, Mitchell seemingly attempted to cover her tracks and left one bone-chilling indication as to where Chong might be.
The court heard how she made a false report to a missing persons charity and messaged Chong’s lodger saying that she’d gone to be with her family for a year to clear her head.
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In what was perhaps a nod to Devon, she said Chong had gone to stay “somewhere near the ocean” because she was “depressed”.
She made a subsequent fraudulent missing persons report via email on June 30, after reports of a body being found in Salcombe, on the Devon coast, began to circulate.
It again claimed Ms Chong had contacted her, reiterating that she was staying with family by the sea because she felt neglected.
Mitchell had also forged a copy of the victim’s will that ensured 95% of the estate was left in her name. Police found the fake will in her home after her arrest, along with various possessions belonging to Ms Chong.
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Following the identification of Ms Chong’s body, police began to speak to those who knew her and quickly began to suspect Mitchell. She was arrested on July 6 and charged on July 9.
She declined to answer questions while in custody.
A search of Mitchell’s home uncovered the fake will, her former pal’s personal documents and the suitcase which had been stored on the roof of a neighbour’s shed.
Ms Chong’s DNA was found on a tea towel in the pocket of the suitcase.
A jury at the Old Bailey deliberated for seven hours to find Mitchell guilty of murder.
(Image: PA)
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood who led the investigation said: “The motivation for Jemma Mitchell’s actions was money and she showed a significant degree of planning and calculation as she attempted to cover up her horrific actions. The cold facts of this case are shocking.
“Mitchell – so desperate to obtain the money she needed to complete the renovations on her house – sought to take advantage of Deborah’s good will, but when Deborah changed her mind, she callously murdered her and embarked upon an attempt to fraudulently obtain her estate.
“What is clear is that Mitchell – seeing her chance to obtain the funds she so desperately desired disappear – decided to attack and murder a vulnerable lady for her own gain in a truly despicable crime.”
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