A man who killed his friend and kept her body in a freezer for several days before burning her remains in a layby has been found guilty of murder. Clive O’Connor, 58, used a blunt object to launch the brutal attack on Jomaa Jerarre, 52, between August 3 and 4, 2021.
A court heard he then stored her body in a freezer he had bought especially for the macabre task at his home in Bilston, Wolverhampton. The charred remains of Jomaa were found by police dumped by the roadside in Perton, Staffordshire, just before 2.30am on August 9, 2021.
Her corpse was so badly burned it took forensic officers days to identify her by her DNA and it was established an accelerant had been used to start the blaze. Detectives identified O’Connor as one of the last people to see Jomaa alive and he was arrested on August 13, 2021, on suspicion of murder.
Jomaa and O’Connor were friends and evidence showed she was living at his flat in prior to her death. Jurors heard that, after killing Jomaa, he stored her body in a freezer and later set fire to it in an attempt cover his tracks.
O’Connor said he last saw Jomaa alive in mid-July, but CCTV captured him buying items using her debit card at various shops until July 31. His green Nissan Micra car was also seen three times between midnight and 1.40am near to where Jomaa’s body was found.
Witnesses described seeing a small car in the layby on Bridgnorth Road and a man wearing a bright orange t-shirt next to it. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) picked up the Nissan Micra just after 9pm the previous night and showed the driver wearing a bright orange top.
CCTV confirmed O’Connor was wearing an orange football shirt, which was later seized from his flat. Although a cause of death could not be determined due to decomposition and damage caused by the fire, there was no evidence it was natural or toxicological.
The post mortem found that she had had received two forceful neck compressions, causing fractures. The most recent was five to ten days before she died.
The court heard she could have died as a result of fatal neck compression and she also had unexplained bruising to her back and upper chest. O’Connor was found guilty of murder following a trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court and will be sentenced on Friday.
Chief Inspector Dan Ison, of Staffordshire Police, said: “I hope the conviction of O’Connor will bring justice to Jomaa’s family and friends, who have shown immense strength throughout the investigation. Our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.
“I would like to thank the public for their support throughout the investigation to bring O’Connor to justice. This was a particularly harrowing investigation and it deeply affected everyone involved. I am glad that O’Connor will now face the consequences of his actions."
