Jemma Mitchell was found guilty of murdering her friend and disposing of her headless body more than 300 miles away so that she could inherit hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Jemma Mitchell is thought to have struck Mee Kuen Chong, 67, over the head with a weapon at her home in London and stored the headless body for two weeks before dumping it in Salcombe, Devon.
Mitchell, 38, had fabricated a duplicate of Chong’s will so that 95% of the estate worth more than £700,000 was bequeathed to her.
Days before the murder, she planned the plot after Deborah Chong, also known as Chong, refused to give her £200,000 to pay for renovations to Mitchell’s £4 million family home.
Det Ch Insp Jim Eastwood, who led the investigation, stated, “Money was the incentive for Jemma Mitchell’s acts, and she attempted to conceal her heinous deeds with a high degree of preparation and calculating. The case’s cold facts are disturbing.
Deborah Chong was a fragile woman. In the weeks preceding her murder, she sought assistance for her deteriorating mental condition.
“However, Mitchell, so anxious for the funds she needed to complete the home repairs, attempted to take advantage of Deborah’s generosity. But when Deborah changed her mind, she brutally murdered her and began a fake scheme to steal her estate.”
Mitchell, who met Chong through a church group and served as her spiritual healer, is alleged to have murdered her on June 11, 2017, in the early morning hours. CCTV footage recorded her leaving the premises while pulling the blue box.
Although no weapon was recovered, a pathologist determined that Chong’s skull fractures may have been caused by being forced against a protruding surface or being struck with a weapon.
Mitchell is alleged to have buried Chong’s remains in the grounds of the north-west London home she shared with her retired mother. After Chong’s lodger reported her missing, Mitchell sent them a message explaining that she had gone to spend a year with her family to clear her thoughts and intended to stay “somewhere close to the ocean”.
Mitchell drove to the coastal town of Salcombe on June 26, where she disposed of Chong’s remains. Her Volvo burst a tire en route, and she stopped at a gas station for assistance. The person called to change the wheel said that Mitchell appeared “confused” and the vehicle had an “odd, musty odor.”
The next day, vacationers discovered Chong’s body along an overgrown footpath, with her head a few meters away. Decomposition caused a delay in identification. Mitchell filed a report with a missing people organization on 30 June, stating that Chong had phoned her to say she felt ignored and was staying with family by the sea.
After speaking with Chong’s acquaintances, Mitchell rapidly emerged as a suspect following the identification of the body. Mitchell was detained at her residence on 6 July, but she refused to answer any of the questions posed to her while in prison.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood who led the investigation said:
“Over the course of two weeks following Deborah’s murder we can only speculate as to what Mitchell did with the body and what her wider plan was.
“The decomposition when the body was found was at such an advanced state that Mitchell may have begun to fear Deborah’s body would be discovered – whether this forced her into moving the body and why she chose Salcombe in Devon, we may never know.
“However, what is clear is that Mitchell – seeing her chance to obtain the funds she so desperately desired disappear – decided to attack and murder a vulnerable lady for her own gain in a truly despicable crime.”
On 9 July, she was charged with murder. A search of her residence revealed personal documents and a forged will belonging to Chong.
The Old Bailey jury deliberated for seven hours before finding Mitchell guilty of murder. She was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 34 years. This means she will not be eligible for parole until 10 July 2055.
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