Man denies murdering alleged ex-lover and dumping her body
A man has denied murdering his work colleague and alleged former lover in central London before disposing of her body.
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Cleaner Yajaira Castro Mendez, 46, had allegedly previously been in a relationship with married man Juan Francisco Toledo, the Old Bailey heard on June 10.
That hearing was told Ms Mendez was his colleague and that Toledo allegedly killed her at an office block they were working at, in central London’s legal district, before wheeling her out in a wheelie bin.
At the Old Bailey on Tuesday, Toledo denied murdering Ms Mendez and perverting the course of justice by concealing and disposing of her body on or before June 7.
The defendant, wearing glasses and a red and grey top, used a Spanish translator and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, and to plead not guilty.
Ms Mendez arrived for work at 5pm on May 29 and was fatally injured inside the office block on Grays Inn Road, it was alleged in June.
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Prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC claimed during the hearing that Ms Mendez’s body was removed from the office in a wheelie bin just after 8.30pm.
The defendant allegedly then placed her in his car and drove to Hampshire where the body was dumped.
The Colombian national, who lived in Ilford, east London, was reported missing to the Metropolitan Police on May 31.
Ms Mendez’s former flatmate raised the alarm after she failed to move into new accommodation, the court was told.
Venezuelan national Toledo, 51, of Crystal Palace, south London, was arrested on June 4 and subsequently charged with murder.
Following a police search, Ms Mendez’s body was found in the rural Bolderwood area of Hampshire on June 7.
His trial is due to begin on April 20 next year.