Friend guilty of killing Mee Chong and dumping headless body

Jemma Mitchell, 38, of Brondesbury Park in Brent, was today found guilty (October 28) of murdering 67-year-old Mee Kuen Chong – also known as Deborah - from Wembley.

Ms Chong was hit on the head with a weapon at her home, and her decapitated and badly decomposed body was found in Salcombe, Devon, two weeks later, it was alleged.

Jemma Mitchell has been found guilty (Image: Met Police)

The prosecution claimed 38-year-old Mitchell had planned to murder the vulnerable divorcee and fake her will to inherit the bulk of her estate, worth more than £700,000.

She came up with the plan after Ms Chong backed out of giving her £200,000 to pay for repairs to Mitchell’s £4 million dilapidated family home, jurors were told.

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• Chilling footage shows woman 'carrying murdered body of friend' in suitcase

Mitchell met Ms Chong through a church group and she became her spiritual healer while on friendly terms.

The trained osteopath, who boasted online of her award-winning skill in human dissection, had denied having anything to do with Ms Chong’s death but declined to give evidence at her trial.

The suitcase used to carry Ms Chong's body (Image: PA)

Ms Chong was last seen alive on June 10 last year by one of her lodgers.

CCTV footage showed Mitchell leaving the direction of Ms Chong’s address on June 11 with two large and apparently heavy suitcases.

After getting a minicab back to her house, it appeared Mitchell kept the body in her property for around two weeks before driving to Salcombe in Devon on June 26 and dumping Ms Chong’s remains.

During this time Mitchell made a false report to a missing persons charity and sent a message to Ms Chong’s lodger saying she had gone to spend time with her family for a year “somewhere close to the ocean”.

Her headless body was found on June 27 off Bennett Road, Salcombe.

Ms Chong was found dead following a falling out with her friend (Image: Met Police)

After reports of the body began to circulate, Mitchell forged a copy of Ms Chong’s will ensuring 95 per cent of the estate was left in her name. This was found at Mitchell’s property following her arrest on July 6.

Identity documents for a neighbour of Mitchell’s who had died in May 2021 were also found. Mitchell had used this person’s identity as a witness to the forged will, as well as reactivating their mobile phone, which she used to hire a car to transport Deborah’s body to Devon.

CCTV footage shows the chilling moment the suitcase was being carried out (Image: Met Police)

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood, who led the investigation, said: “The motivation for Jemma Mitchell’s actions was money and she showed a significant degree of planning and calculation as she attempted to cover up her horrific actions. The cold facts of this case are shocking.

“Deborah Chong was a vulnerable lady – in the weeks before her murder, she was seeking help for her declining mental health.

“However, Mitchell – so desperate to obtain the money she needed to complete the renovations on her house – sought to take advantage of Deborah’s good will, but when Deborah changed her mind, she callously murdered her and embarked upon an attempt to fraudulently obtain her estate.”

Mitchell was remanded in custody to be sentenced on Friday.

A police crime scene after the body was found (Image: Met Police)

It can now be reported that Mitchell has a conviction for a breach of a non-molestation order relating to family members.

In 2016, she received a conditional discharge at North West London Magistrates’ Court for breaching the order in respect of her sister and brother-in-law.