A man was bludgeoned to death before his body was dismembered and scattered at six different locations, a jury has heard.
Marcin Majerkiewicz, 42, allegedly cut the body of 67-year-old Stuart Everett into 27 different pieces after attacking him at the home they shared. Parts of Mr Everett’s body were found in locations across Salford and north Manchester, jurors at Manchester Crown Court have been told.
Majerkiewicz – who denies murder – is accused of killing Mr Everrett on March 27/28 last year. Jason Pitter, KC, prosecuting, told the jury that Mr Everett’s lower torso and thighs were found in a wooded area within Kersal Dale nature reserve in Salford on April 4 last year.
He said: “They had been hidden in an abandoned bunker there wrapped in cling film. For obvious reasons it was not known who that person, or who those parts belonged to, was. What was apparent was that it must have been a man who had been, it transpired, sawn into pieces. That initial gruesome finding was to trigger investigations that led to, a number of weeks later, further parts, including parts of his skull, and ear over various locations in the Greater Manchester area.”
Mr Everett ‘sub-letted’ two rooms in a property in Worsely Road, Winton, Greater Manchester, to two men, both of Polish heritage, the court heard. One was Majerkiewicz and another man with Polish origins, Michal Polchowski. The court heard while Mr Polchowski was also initially arrested it was found there was no evidence he was connected to the alleged murder.
Mr Pitter says Majerkiewicz and Mr Everett were close: “That precise nature of the relationship with Stuart is not entirely clear. What can be said is that they were close, as evidenced by some of the communications, in particular from Stuart. That closeness, it would appear to have enabled the defendant to access and take some control of the identity of Stuart Everett, in particular e-mail and telephone services, especially after Stuart Everett’s death.”
Mr Pitter says that the first discovery of remains came on April 4 last year, when a member of the public discovered them in the bunker at Kersal Dale. He said: “Whilst those body parts were recovered by the police for examination, it could not, for obvious reasons, despite preliminary tests being done, it could not be identified whose body they belonged to at that stage.”
The court heard “extensive” enquiries were undertaken, including obtaining CCTV footage, telecommunications data, emails and banking transactions. Mr Pitter said police discovered footage which showed a man entering Kersal Dale and walking near the where the remains were deposited at about 5pm on April 2, holding a “heavy, blue bag for life”.
He said: “A part of the item in the bag was visible and the prosecution say was of a size that could match the body part later recovered. No other person is captured arriving at the Kersal Dale at that entrance carrying any item that could contain the body parts discovered. That person was to emerge a short while later holding only what appeared to be a small flat object consistent with being the same bag but this time folded up.
“A proper conclusion was that this was the person, the prosecution say it was the defendant, dumping that part of the body in the bunker. Further footage led to police observing at an earlier stage in the day, a couple of hours before the Kersal Dale deposition, to make a similar type of journey going out from and returning to Worsley Road. On that occasion they did so with a green and yellow bag for life and the journey was to the area of Tesco in Pendleton. That person on the footage had distinctive characteristics by way of clothing and in particular his notable shoulder length hair.”
When police stopped Majerkiewicz on April 25 the court heard he had two mobile phones, one of which belonged to Mr Everett, and a number of bank cards also belonging to Mr Everett. When police visited their home address Mr Polchowski arrived. He showed officers a message, purporting to be from Mr Everett, which said he was in Derby, had had a stroke and was unwell.
Mr Pitter said: “That message was dated in April 2024, but the prosecution say that from a proper analysis of his mobile telephone it occurred at a time when he, that’s Stuart Everett, was already dead.”
Further examination of CCTV showed a person alleged to be Majerkiewicz travelled to the nearby Worsley Woods on March 28 with a wheelie bag – returning without the bag. Mr Pitter says: “Whilst no body parts were found in those woods, a black bin bag was found with blood that matched Stuart Everett.”
Later that day, Majerkiewicz was allegedly seen carrying a “large blue bag” away from Worsley Road to the area near Chesterfield Close, the court heard. He said: “At that location a further nine packages of body parts were recovered there. Significantly this included many internal organs including the heart, kidney, lungs, and his, Stuart Everett’s genitalia.”
Mr Pitter alleged Majerkiewicz travelled from his home to Boggart Hole Clough on March 29, where a “section of Stuart Everett’s spinal column” was discovered. He also claimed that footage showed the defendant travelling to the area of Linnyshaw Colliery Wood that same day with a “large, apparently heavy bag”, and leaving without one. A search later in April found a second package of body parts wrapped in cling film.
Mr Pitter said: “It contained bones, muscle tissues and was comprised of 10 different body parts which appeared to have been sawed away from the body. The body parts included parts of the neck which showed signs of damage and injury being caused prior to death.”
Majerkiewicz was alleged to have been in the area of Blackleach Reservoir on April 3, carrying a red bag with “something heavy inside”. He said: “Located in that area were a further six parts, six in total, including parts of the skull, scalp and left ear near to the water’s edge. Also relevant to the medical findings, parts of the skin from his face.”
Mr Pitter said: “So, the prosecution say we have the defendant in attendance at each of those locations or at least travel consistent with those locations where those body parts had been recovered. The CCTV footage placing him in and around those locations, often arriving with an apparently heavy bag but each time leaving without it or we say having emptied the contents.”
Mr Pitter told the court “about a third” of Mr Everett’s body has been recovered. Mr Pitter also said evidence was found at the home they shared – as well as signs of a “clean up” operation. He said there was blood staining on the washing machine door handle, some carpet had been cut up, and blood from the floorboard underneath was a close match of Mr Everett.
The jury heard an examination of the recovered parts of the skull revealed that Mr Everett had been “subjected to a sustained, severe blunt force physical assault in the form of repeated strikes to the head with a heavy blunt implement”. Mr Pitter said: “The prosecution say anyone inflicting head injuries of that nature plainly intended death or really serious harm. The body was obviously dismembered into multiple pieces, with him identifying 27 parts of the body. The bones had been dismembered more likely by the use of a hacksaw.”
In a skip outside the property police found a ‘hacksaw blade’ in a black bin bag, which jurors heard contained Mr Everett’s blood. Police also searched the nearby property of Majerkiewicz’s partner where they found a Rug Dr carpet cleaner with blood-stained skin and bone fragments, matching Mr Everett, stuck in the front guard, the court was told.
Mr Pitter alleged messages were sent from Mr Everett’s phone when he was already dead. He told the jury: “Messages were sent to people including family members, calculated to give the impression that Stuart Everett was still alive. That included exchanges with Stuart’s niece to wish her a happy birthday, but sent in terminology which was not consistent to have been from him.
“That would be correct of course given the message was sent on April 16 when he was already dead. It also included messages to his brother to give the impression that he was in the process of moving to a different address from Worsley Road.”
The trial is due to last up to three weeks.
