The man accused of murdering Chloe Mitchell dismembered her body and disposed of it in wheelie bins, Belfast Crown Court was told Wednesday. Brandon Rainey, 26, denies murdering the 21-year-old in June 2023 and preventing the lawful burial of her remains.
During the opening of the case against Rainey, Crown barrister David Russell KC told the jury that the prosecution will present evidence showing the accused murdered Mitchell at his house before dismembering her body. Russell stated it was the prosecution's case that Mitchell and Rainey had an "on-off relationship" and that he killed her in the early hours of June 3, 2023, sometime between 00:36 and 05:18 BST.
Jurors heard that Mitchell had significant addiction issues and was last seen alive by two friends in Rainey's flat shortly before her death. One of those friends told police that Rainey had previously remarked he would "love to chop someone up and melt them in the bath," though he later claimed he was joking.
When Mitchell was reported missing, one of the friends contacted Rainey, who told her Mitchell had left his flat after an argument to go to Belfast. Police launched extensive searches, and her dismembered remains were found on June 11 in two wheelie bins on James Street, Ballymena.