Jemma Mitchell: Killer who decapitated friend must serve 34 years
Jemma Mitchell has been sentenced to serve at least 34 years for the murder and decapitation of her friend.
Mitchell was found guilty of murdering 67-year-old Mee Kuen Chong at her London home in June 2021. She put the body in a suitcase before dumping her.
Aggravating factors included that the killing was carried out for gain, and the manner in which she treated Ms Chong’s body, the judge said.
“I am driven to the conclusion that you are extremely devious,” he added.
The case is the first murder trial in the UK to be streamed live. Viewers watched the moment Judge Richard Marks KC handed down his sentence to the 38-year-old.
“There is the chilling aspect of what you did to and with her body after you killed her,” the judge said.
“You have shown absolutely no remorse and it appears you are in complete denial as to what you did, notwithstanding what in my judgment amounted to overwhelming evidence against you.”
Judge Richard Marks KC
Ms Chong’s body was found in woodland in Salcombe by a holidaymaker and her head was found nearby just a few days later.
Mee Kuen Chong’s death
The post-mortem was unable to determine the cause of death due to the level of decomposition but could determine a fracture to her skull.
The court had previously been told the theory that the injury was likely caused by being hit with a weapon and Ms Chong’s ribs probably broke when Mitchell put her into the suitcase.
What was the motive?
The prosecution says Ms Mitchell planned to murder Ms Chong after befriending her through a Church group.
When Ms Chong backed out of giving her £200,000 to pay for repairs to her rundown £4 million home, Mitchell killed her and forged a will to inherit the bulk of her estate – worth more than £700,000.
She also forged the signature of a man named Virgil, “an erstwhile neighbour of yours who had died some months earlier”, Judge Marks said.
“Following his death you have managed to gain access to his room and you took from that room, various papers of his, including his passport, as well as his mobile phone,” he said.
“A short time later you rang a phone company pretending to be him, giving his name and date of birth and you had the phone reactivated.”
Jemma Mitchell killer
Mitchell shared the £4m family home in north-west London with her mother, who was sat in the public gallery.
Her mother says she will appeal and was shocked that her daughter was convicted with so little forensic evidence.
Following her conviction, Det Ch Insp Jim Eastwood said: “Mitchell has never accepted responsibility for Ms Chong’s murder so there are questions which remain unanswered.
“Why she kept her body for a fortnight, why she decapitated her, why she deposited her remains in Salcombe.
“What we do know is that these were evil acts carried out by an evil woman and the only motive clearly was one of financial gain.”
