A 23-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of Kathryn Parton, 34, who was found with head injuries at her home in east Belfast on 15 May.
Jamie Love appeared at Belfast magistrates court on Monday charged with murder aggravated by domestic abuse between 9 and 15 May.
Love’s mother, Suzanne, 43, appeared with him and was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice by destroying evidence and aiding and abetting a breach of bail.
A third person, Reece Oliver, 22, was charged with assisting an offender and aiding and abetting a breach of bail. The defendants spoke only to confirm that they understood the charges.
The court heard that Parton’s father alerted emergency services after finding his daughter at her home on Madrid Street on 15 May. She was cold and not breathing.
The three defendants were remanded in custody to appear in court again on 17 June. As they were led away insults and threats were shouted from the public gallery. Several people were removed and one man was arrested.
Friends of Parton said they would release sky lanterns in her memory at a vigil on 24 May.
She is the 19th woman to be killed in Northern Ireland since 2020, according to Women’s Aid.
