A couple in Bournemouth, England, are on trial for the murder, mutilation and partial cannibalism of a drug user.
The body parts of the victim, 48-year-old Simon Shotton, were discovered by passers-by in August last year.The subway. The prosecution alleges that the couple, Debbie Pereira and Benjamin Atkins, killed Shotton and then dismembered him with a saw from a hardware store. They also claim that Atkins bragged about eating parts of the victim.
The couple was arrested after a leg was found on the beach. Police traced the leg back to Shotton through his phone records, which led them to Pereira. A search of their home revealed more body parts, and a secret recording device in their police van caught Atkins talking about getting rid of the weapons.
In her police interview, Pereira denied any role in the murder, claiming that Atkins said he would take the blame for the entire crime if he admitted to cannibalism. The process is underway.
Opening the trial at Winchester Crown Court, prosecutor Paul Cavin KC said: “A search officer followed what he described as 'the smell of death' to a hedge, where he discovered a large black suitcase.”
According to the prosecutor, there were 'flies' on this suitcase and there was a 'smell of death that was immediate and intense'. Inside they discovered 'a human torso without a head'.