GUILTY UK - Mee Kuen "Deborah" Chong, 67, Wembley, London, decapitated in woods, Salcombe, Jun 2021 *arrest

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

She can appeal the length of the sentence but unless she can produce some new evidence, then she would not be able to appeal the verdict.

Thanks for the info. It's a strange case. I wonder if she took up this odd plan to see if it pulled off but also doesn't care about being in prison since her home life was becoming completely unfeasible and unmanageable. The story to do with the state of the house, repairs, and builders and spiralling costs is the stuff of nightmares. Not that it excuses this appalling crime but it would have been nice to hear her side.

 

[HollyHunter9]

I'm struggling to get my head around the lack of DNA evidence in the suitcase itself and in either the victim or JM homes, especially when JM's home was described as that of a horder with rubbish and rotten food everywhere on top of the half finished building works. I do think she was guilty because of all the other overwhelming evidence but the lack of DNA is baffling, especially with decapitation! I wonder if any type of plastic sheeting was used? Like in the series Dexter? (I mean no disrespect in this comment just trying to think of how meticulous she must've been in such an erratic and disarrayed environment)

 

[JuicyLucy]

I'm struggling to get my head around the lack of DNA evidence in the suitcase itself and in either the victim or JM homes, especially when JM's home was described as that of a horder with rubbish and rotten food everywhere on top of the half finished building works. I do think she was guilty because of all the other overwhelming evidence but the lack of DNA is baffling, especially with decapitation! I wonder if any type of plastic sheeting was used? Like in the series Dexter? (I mean no disrespect in this comment just trying to think of how meticulous she must've been in such an erratic and disarrayed environment)

I wondered about that too. The police did suspect MC had been kept wrapped in plastic, but I guess couldn't be sure because it was never found. And it would seem her body was stored in the garden rather than the house. But I do think JM was also really lucky that there was no DNA transfer to the suitcase or anything else, even though I assume she's quite forensically aware. I'm bemused that she kept the bloodstained tea towel that was found in a pocket of the suitcase. As circumstantial evidence goes, that was quite a biggie, and it could have helped her case a lot if she'd thought/remembered to destroy it.

I think there's a lot of arrogance both in the ways this plan was executed well and the ways it was executed badly. She seems to have an excessively high opinion of herself, and I think that drove the sense of entitlement that made her believe she deserved MC's money in the first place. I suspect that may be half the reason the defence didn't put her on the stand, as it would hardly endear her to a jury.

Mum insists daughter jailed over murder is innocent

JMO

 

[JuicyLucy]

I'm very curious to know which member of the familly is the hoarder, and what their story is.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

I'm struggling to get my head around the lack of DNA evidence in the suitcase itself and in either the victim or JM homes, especially when JM's home was described as that of a horder with rubbish and rotten food everywhere on top of the half finished building works. I do think she was guilty because of all the other overwhelming evidence but the lack of DNA is baffling, especially with decapitation! I wonder if any type of plastic sheeting was used? Like in the series Dexter? (I mean no disrespect in this comment just trying to think of how meticulous she must've been in such an erratic and disarrayed environment)

Yep this aspect makes no sense at all and I'd love to know what the prosecution and defence said in this regard.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Australian therapist murdered and decapitated friend in her London home

The trained osteopath killed her friend and stored the remains in the garden of the house she shared with her retired mother.

7news.com.au

An Australian-born self-styled healer has become the first woman in England to be handed a life sentence on television after being found guilty of murdering her friend, whose headless body was dumped in Devon.

Mitchell had grown up in Australia, where her mother worked for the British Foreign Office and had set up an osteopathy business there before returning to the UK in 2015.

 

[Tortoise]

I'm very curious to know which member of the familly is the hoarder, and what their story is.

I think it was Jemma.

I've seen quite a few articles since she was convicted, referencing her as a hoarder in the headline.

And I just remembered Mee called her a hoarder in one of their exchanges too -

"Later, Ms Chong told Mitchell there was too much stuff in her house, saying: 'Stop being hoarder.'"

"'You have to rid of stuff and live simple life clear all things untouched unused.'"

Christian, 67, 'murdered and decapitated by friend' in '£200,000 row'

 

[JuicyLucy]

I think it was Jemma.

I've seen quite a few articles since she was convicted, referencing her as a hoarder in the headline.

And I just remembered Mee called her a hoarder in one of their exchanges too -

"Later, Ms Chong told Mitchell there was too much stuff in her house, saying: 'Stop being hoarder.'"

"'You have to rid of stuff and live simple life clear all things untouched unused.'"

Christian, 67, 'murdered and decapitated by friend' in '£200,000 row'

Interesting... you'd think someone who had decamped half way round the world several times over would tend to travel light. But maybe the opposite is true - that having to leave everything behind more than once created an overwhelming urge to hang on to things.

I'd kind of assumed the hoarding in the house was a decades-old problem and related to someone else in the family, but apparently not.

 

[Tortoise]

Interesting... you'd think someone who had decamped half way round the world several times over would tend to travel light. But maybe the opposite is true - that having to leave everything behind more than once created an overwhelming urge to hang on to things.

I'd kind of assumed the hoarding in the house was a decades-old problem and related to someone else in the family, but apparently not.

She looks a lot different in her mugshot to how she looks in old photographs.





Chilling text 'healer' sent to pal after beheading friend to get £200k revealed

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

She looks a lot different in her mugshot to how she looks in old photographs.

View attachment 376744

View attachment 376745

View attachment 376746Chilling text 'healer' sent to pal after beheading friend to get £200k revealed

Two things - 1) nose job, the tip of her nose is most definitely lifted and reduced and the redness around her nostrils would also indicate possible surgery scars; 2) probably a little weight gain padded out the shape of her face - her cheeks are a little fuller and her chin has lost the defined shape.

 

[Luwin]

Is it new that the articles have starred referring to Jemma as a 'healer' I don't think I've noticed it before

 

[Alyce]

I’ve had a good day




full story at the link

Woman jailed for cutting off pensioner's head said it was a 'good day'

Murderer Jemma Mitchell told a friend that she'd 'had a good day' hours after killing and decapitating her 'vulnerable' friend Mee Kuen Chong and then made plans to go to Richmond Park.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Alyce]

Interesting... you'd think someone who had decamped half way round the world several times over would tend to travel light. But maybe the opposite is true - that having to leave everything behind more than once created an overwhelming urge to hang on to things.

I'd kind of assumed the hoarding in the house was a decades-old problem and related to someone else in the family, but apparently not.

I think history might show a hoarding link

 

[JuicyLucy]

Is it new that the articles have starred referring to Jemma as a 'healer' I don't think I've noticed it before

No, not particularly new, though not all the MSM have emphasised it. I think she was a self-styled 'healer' because of not being able to work as an osteopath here. I suspect that may be the reason she joined the church where she met MC - in the expectation that someone with 'healing' credentials might find vulnerable people there to prey on. But it's JMO.

 

[JuicyLucy]

She looks a lot different in her mugshot to how she looks in old photographs.

View attachment 376744

View attachment 376745

View attachment 376746Chilling text 'healer' sent to pal after beheading friend to get £200k revealed

I think it's amazing what a difference a few years, a bit of weight, no make up and harsh police station lighting will make. But I hope the Sun has been careful with its sourcing as tbh not all of these pics look like her, to me.

 

[Legal]

This is a very strange case, I agree. It seems to me it would have been better for her and her mother to sell their house, which was falling apart and had no roof and to buy a little flat to live in. However, hoarding disorder is a mental health condition (https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/hoarding-disorder/what-is-hoarding-disorder)
and I wonder if she was so obsessed with not losing her possessions (which she probably would have had to dispose of, if downsizing) that she was single-mindedly looking for a way to get the money to repair the house. Maybe getting the money became an obsession and she saw Deborah's wealth as a solution. She was focused on getting that money any way possible.

Additionally, I wonder if the hoarding actually contributed to the house's disrepair. Apparently this can happen due to the volume of junk, which can cause damp issues, mould, fire hazards, rat infestation, and structural damage due to the weight (The Damage Hoarding Can Do to Properties).

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

This is a very strange case, I agree. It seems to me it would have been better for her and her mother to sell their house, which was falling apart and had no roof and to buy a little flat to live in. However, hoarding disorder is a mental health condition (https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/hoarding-disorder/what-is-hoarding-disorder)
and I wonder if she was so obsessed with not losing her possessions (which she probably would have had to dispose of, if downsizing) that she was single-mindedly looking for a way to get the money to repair the house. Maybe getting the money became an obsession and she saw Deborah's wealth as a solution. She was focused on getting that money any way possible.

Additionally, I wonder if the hoarding actually contributed to the house's disrepair. Apparently this can happen due to the volume of junk, which can cause damp issues, mould, fire hazards, rat infestation, and structural damage due to the weight (The Damage Hoarding Can Do to Properties).

Regarding the disrepair it seems to have been a very serious issue relating to the roof needing replacing and builders started the work then abandoned it due to funds and due to covid - sorry I can't provide a link but I read that in one of the news publications. Obviously hoarding is also in and of itself a terrible problem but the issue with having no roof must have been terrifying to live with - I recall it was said that there was scaffolding and tarpaulin.

I would imagine the stress of that contributed to a motivation to steal money from her so called 'friend' but the rest of it is frankly unimaginable. It may have helped her case if she'd have told her story as now she looks like nothing but a cold blooded calculated murderer, which she may well be.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Woman, 38, 'expert in dissection, murdered woman and cut her head off'

Property developer Jemma Mitchell, 38, allegedly killed 67-year-old Mee Kuen Chong and drove more than 250 miles to Devon to dump her body.

www.dailymail.co.uk

^ Details re the state of the house lower down in this article. Apparently the mother decided to have an extra floor added to the house and this turned into an absolute disaster leaving the house with no roof.

I can't imagine living in those circumstances and through that level of madness.

 

[MeadowMuffin]

Woman, 38, 'expert in dissection, murdered woman and cut her head off'

Property developer Jemma Mitchell, 38, allegedly killed 67-year-old Mee Kuen Chong and drove more than 250 miles to Devon to dump her body.

www.dailymail.co.uk

^ Details re the state of the house lower down in this article. Apparently the mother decided to have an extra floor added to the house and this turned into an absolute disaster leaving the house with no roof.

I can't imagine living in those circumstances and through that level of madness.

To me, it seems ridiculous to add another floor to a house that only 2 people inhabit. But to their way of thinking, they needed to have another floor in which to live because of the volume of hoarded objects. It's sad that there was no one to intervene, and yet I'm sure they would have fought an intervention.

 

[JuicyLucy]

To me, it seems ridiculous to add another floor to a house that only 2 people inhabit. But to their way of thinking, they needed to have another floor in which to live because of the volume of hoarded objects. It's sad that there was no one to intervene, and yet I'm sure they would have fought an intervention.

Perhaps adding the extra floor was an idea that suggested itself when JM returned from Australia, needing somewhere to live. She would have been joining a preexisting household of quite a few others at that time, and iirc each member of the family had a floor to themselves, broadly speaking.

One family member has died since then, and the non-molestation order referred to in the judge's sentencing remarks speaks to a family rift that must have left JM and her mother adrift in a house that was way too big for them, and in a state of chaos because of works that were no longer needed.

I suspect the house became the focus of a lot of anger and obstinacy that was actually to do with family problems, so coming up with a way to fix it perhaps took on an irrational sense of importance that ended up attaching to MC and her money.

JMO