Man accused of murder hid body parts in bins, court hears

The jury in trial of a man accused of murdering a 21-year-old woman in Co Antrim has been told that he dismembered her body and hid the parts in bins in an attempt to avoid detection.

A prosecution barrister told Belfast Crown Court that Chloe Mitchell was killed in the early hours of the 3 June 2023.

The lawyer said she was killed in the home of Brandon John Rainey, which at the time was a ground floor flat in James Street in Ballymena.

The 30-year-old denies murdering her and attempting to prevent the lawful and decent burial of her remains.

Members of Ms Mitchell's family and dozens of supporters packed into the public gallery of courtroom 12 of Belfast Crown Court as the public prosecution service set out its case.

David Russell KC told the court that she had been in an "on-off relationship" with Mr Rainey.

He said she had been murdered in the defendant’s home early on the morning of 3 June 2023 and that he dismembered her body and hid the parts in a number of residential bins nearby.

The remains of the 21-year-old were found during a police search operation eight days later.

"There is a wealth of evidence that will show beyond a reasonable doubt that he murdered Chloe Mitchell and disposed of her body in a way that prevented her burial," Mr Russell said.

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He said the evidence included a "very substantial forensic connection" between the defendant, his flat and blood from the victim.

The lawyer said Ms Mitchell had last been seen alive by two female friends in the home of Mr Rainey shortly before she disappeared.

One of the friends told police they had all smoked cannabis and drank alcohol and that she remembered the defendant saying he "would love to chop someone up and melt them in the bath."

Mr Russell told the jury of six men and six women that Ms Mitchell was never seen alive again after the two friends left the flat.

The jury was shown CCTV footage of what the prosecution alleges were three short journeys by Mr Rainey disposing of the body in the early hours of 3 June 2023.

Police found her dismembered and decomposed body parts inside several plastic bags that had been placed in two bins.

The level of decomposition meant she had to be identified from dental records and a tattoo.

The lawyer said a post-mortem examination by Northern Ireland’s State Pathologist James Lyness concluded that the cause of death was blunt force trauma of the head, stab wounds of the chest and possible gagging.

The court was told Ms Mitchell had suffered multiple heavy blows to her head and face and at least 55 stab wounds, many of which many have happened after she died.

The lawyer said Mr Rainey had told "a catalogue of lies" during a series of police interviews following his arrest five days after Ms Mitchell had disappeared.

He told the court this included the defendant telling police that Ms Mitchell had left his flat to go to Belfast and that she was mixed up with drugs and "dodgy people" and addicted to cocaine.

Mr Russell said the defendant had tried to steer police away from his involvement in the murder by providing an alternative account of how she could have come to harm.

The lawyer said Mr Rainey had shown callous disregard for Ms Mitchell and was "only interested in saving his own skin."

He said evidence presented during the trial would show that Mr Rainey had bought a boning knife and a chef's knife weeks before Ms Mitchell was murdered and had also attempted to buy specialist amputation knives.

Mr Russell said the jury would also hear evidence that the defendant had been overheard asking his mother: "Would you still love me if I dismembered 50 people and hid their parts?"

He said that while being held on remand in Maghaberry prison in Co Antrim, Mr Rainey had told a fellow prisoner details of the murder and that he had known how to dismember the body because he had watched the hit US television show Dexter, a crime series about a serial killer.

The court was also told that when police examined Mr Rainey’s mobile phone it contained videos of him referring to himself as "Jack the Ripper", and a video recording aimed at someone else made after Ms Mitchell had been killed in which he said he would kill the person and cut their head off.

In conclusion, Mr Russell said Ms Mitchell had suffered "a cruel and brutal death" and that the evidence clearly points to the defendant as the killer.

The trial will resume on Monday and is expected to last for between four and five weeks.