Man guilty of murdering and dismembering housemate

A man has been found guilty of murdering and dismembering his housemate into 27 pieces and dumping his body parts across a city.

Marcin Majerkiewicz, who had an "obsession with gore and gruesome horror", killed Stuart Everett, 67, with a hammer-type weapon before cutting his body up with a hacksaw.

Some of Mr Everett's remains were first discovered by a member of the public in an abandoned bunker at a nature reserve in Salford in April last year.

Majerkiewicz, 42, had denied murdering him between 27 and 28 March but he was convicted by a jury at Manchester Crown Court.

Warning: This story contains distressing details

Mr Everett's brother Richard Ziemacki said his family had been "haunted" by the murder of their "endearing and loving" relative, who they affectionately called Benny.

A murder investigation began after Mr Everett's torso was found wrapped in cling-film at Kersal Dale nature reserve on 4 April.

Majerkiewicz had put his body parts in bags and took bus journeys across Salford and Manchester to dump the evidence.

He was seen on CCTV struggling to carry a heavy bag on Bury New Road in Prestwich and then dumping it.

Police did not know the identity of the man in the footage but three weeks later Majerkiewicz was spotted by an officer who drove past him by chance and noted he looked like the man from the CCTV.

Mr Everett's remains were also found at Linnyshaw Colliery Woods, Boggart Hole Clough, Blackleach Reservoir, Worsley Woods and Chesterfield Close.

The trial heard only a third of his body had been recovered.

Mr Everett, originally from Derby and born Roman Ziemacki to Polish parents, and Majerkiewicz, from Poland, lived together with another man in his house in Winton, Salford.

Mr Everett first met his killer while teaching English to recently arrived Polish immigrants and Majerkiewicz moved in during 2017, the trial was told.

A forensic examination found blood on the carpet, wall and chest of drawers in Majerkiewicz's bedroom and evidence of a clean-up.

Majerkiewicz had used a professional rug cleaner but when he could not clean blood off a section of the carpet he had cut a rectangular piece from Mr Everett's room to replace it and covered it with a bed, Greater Manchester Police said.

The force said the nails used to secure the replacement carpet contained Majerkiewicz's DNA, proving he was responsible for concealing the crime scene.

The original carpet, covered in blood matching Mr Everett's DNA, was recovered in a skip outside the house.

GMP said in the days after the murder Majerkiewicz had called a "white van man" to help take furniture from the house to a lock-up in Bury, including a sofa bed and a fridge freezer.

Mr Everett's blood was found on the sofa bed, which is believed to be where his life was taken. The fridge freezer also contained his DNA.

Detectives were able to find other body parts in remote locations after examining his mobile phone.

A forensic pathologist said Mr Everett was killed with a hammer-type weapon and had several blunt force trauma injuries to the head.

Mr Everett's family initially had no idea he had died.

Majerkiewicz had taken over his finances and his mobile phone.

He even sent text messages and a birthday card to his family purporting to be from Mr Everett.

Speaking after the conviction, Mr Ziemacki said: "For any person to be treated the way [my brother] was - brutally murdered and systematically and comprehensively disposed of has meant our family are traumatised beyond belief."

Majerkiewicz had been searching online for properties to rent in the Alicante area of Spain before his arrest.

The court heard he had worked as a manager at fast-food shops in the Trafford Centre but was unemployed at the time of the murder and had debts of about £60,000.

Majerkiewicz had an obsession with gore and gruesome horror and a tattoo of slasher-film character Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th, Greater Manchester Police said.

Det Ch Supt Lewis Hughes said he had a "fixation with horror and gore" but the team had "not confirmed any clear motive", adding: "These are all relevant factors in what may have been going on, financial issues, debt, problems paying the bills, potentially a relationship between the two of them."

Rebecca Macaulay-Addison, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Marcin Majerkiewicz murdered Stuart Everett before making a despicable and disturbing attempt to cover his tracks by disposing of Mr Everett's remains.

"He went on to concoct a web of lies to further conceal his barbaric crime."

Jurors convicted him of murder in under two hours of deliberations following a three-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Trial judge Mr Justice Cavanagh told Majerkiewicz he faced a mandatory life sentence but he must set the minimum time before parole, which would happen on 28 March.

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