Two local men have appeared in court charged over the death of Dale Mundell, whose body was found in a suitcase.
Joshua Miller, 32, and Jamie Cooper, 27, both of Kingfisher Court, off Queensmere Road in West Hill, appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court by video link on Monday. Miller is charged with murder and preventing a lawful burial. Cooper, his partner, is charged with preventing a lawful burial. Neither entered a plea, as the charges are serious enough to be dealt with only by a Crown Court.
Both men were remanded in custody, with the case sent to Maidstone Crown Court, where they are expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on 10 August.
Police were first called to Kingfisher Court shortly before 11pm on Thursday 9 July, after a report of a possible murder at the address. Officers found the property empty, but a search led them to believe someone had been harmed there, and a murder investigation was launched.
The next day, officers searching woodland at Borstal Recreation Ground, near Rochester, Kent, found Mr Mundell’s body inside a suitcase.
A post-mortem examination was carried out on Saturday, but the cause of death has not yet been determined. Police say the victim and the two men were known to each other. A third man, arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released on bail.
Correction, 15 July, 10am: We have removed a detail about the discovery of the suitcase containing the body at the request of the Metropolitan Police who said it did not fit with their understanding of what happened.
