Australian Woman Decapitated Friend After Fight Over Money; Incident Caught on CCTV Dragging Victim's Remains in Suitcase

A British woman was given a life sentence for decapitating her former friend and disposing of her body last year. One day after police declared Jemma Mitchell, 38, had been found guilty of murder, the sentence was given.

It was the first broadcast sentencing of a woman for a murder offense in England and Wales on Friday when Judge Richard Marks KC sentenced Mitchell to life in prison with a minimum period of 34 years to be served.

Australian Osteopath Decapitated, Dismembered Friend

At the Chongs' house in adjacent Wembley in June 2021, Mitchell, a resident of northwest London, is charged with murdering Mee Kuen Chong, also known as Deborah Chong. After meeting through a church group, Chong, 67, and Mitchell became friends, and during this period, Mitchell "also worked as a spiritual healer for Deborah," according to the police.

Authorities claim that Chong was having mental health issues before her death. According to the investigators, Mitchell approached Chong for money as she was remodeling her house at the time. Per CBS News, the police claim that Chong first agreed to repay Mitchell around $231,000 but then withdrew the offer, which "led to the two falling out" just days before the murder.

The 38-year-old alternative therapist and self-described healer wanted to fake her victim's will to receive the majority of her $810,000 estate. At her London home last year, Mitchell allegedly struck Chong over the head with a weapon, Telegraph via MSN reported.

Jemma Mitchell Caught on CCTV Dragging Deborah Chong in Suitcase

She took a car to the Devon beach town of Salcombe two weeks later, where she dumped Chong's dismembered body in the woods. Mitchell was seen on security video pulling Chong's body into a suitcase, which was subsequently discovered on the top of a neighbor's shed and included a tea towel stained with her blood in the front pocket.

The murderer was an osteopath with training who bragged online of her acknowledgment of expertise in human dissection. She denied having any part in the killing, but on Thursday, the Old Bailey jury convicted her guilty of murder.

Detective Jim Eastwood, who oversaw the case, called it a "truly despicable crime" after the woman was found guilty. Jurors were informed that Chong and Mitchell connected through a religious group and that shortly after, the killer began to put pressure on Chong to assist Mitchell to pay off her enormous debt.

After addressing letters to Boris Johnson when he was prime minister and King Charles, the then-Prince of Wales at the time, Chong, who had schizophrenia, was referred for assistance.Mitchell, who lived with her mother, convinced her that adding another story to their Willesden, North West London, the property would increase its value significantly.

They were living in squalor with a tarpaulin for a roof since the original constructor went out of business with $156,000 of their money. Mitchell regarded her as a way out because Chong owned the house in Chaplin Road, Wembley, where she resided with a lodger.

The victim was so frustrated with Mitchell's persistent questions that she only agreed to let her visit her house on June 11, 2021, the day she passed away after she made a commitment not to bring up money.

Mitchell was convicted guilty of murder yesterday, and Chong's family in Malaysia watched the decision over a video link as she remained still in the dock. The defendant in today's sentence was the first time cameras had been permitted in a criminal crown court in the UK to record sentencing.

On the morning of June 11, 2021, Mitchell arrived at Chong's house with a big blue suitcase, as shown on the CCTV video played to the jury during her trial. Mitchell said she had visited family friends "somewhere close to the ocean" after he was reported missing because she was "depressed."

Even though there was no forensic evidence found in the suitcase, Chong's DNA was found on a blood-stained tea towel that was stashed in a pocket. Mitchell was born and raised in Australia, where her mother was a British Foreign Office employee, as per Daily Mail.