Jurors retire in Stuart Everett murder trial (2025)

Marcin Majerkiewicz, 42, denies murder

A judge has told jurors they are under no pressure ‘at all’ as they retire to consider their verdict in the Stuart Everett murder trial.

Stuart Everett, 67 was killed and then dismembered into 27 pieces before being deposited in sites across Greater Manchester, a trial has heard. About 'a third' of his body has been recovered from locations across Salford and north Manchester, including Kersal Dale and Boggart Hole Clough.

Marcin Majerkiewicz, 42, from Eccles, is accused of murdering Mr Everett, also known as Roman Ziemacki. He denies the charge.

Jurors have heard that the pair lived together in the same house on Worsley Road in Winton. Mr Everett was 'sub-letting' two rooms in his home, one to Mr Majerkiewicz and another to a third man named Michal Polchowski.

Prosecutors said they do not have to prove a motive for the killing, but claimed that Mr Majerkiewicz had been experiencing a 'growing sense of frustration' with Mr Everett. Referring to Mr Polchowski, Mr Majerkiewicz allegedly messaged his partner to say: “The f***** heard what I’m planning’.”

Jason Pitter KC, prosecuting, claimed there was also ‘tension’ after Mr Everett informed Mr Majerkiewicz that his rent was increasing.

The prosecutor told the jury that the first human remains were discovered in a wooded area within Kersal Dale nature reserve in Salford on April 4 last year.

He said: "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." He said it was discovered that the remains belonged to Mr Everett, who was of Polish heritage and was born as Roman Ziemacki and had a brother in Derby.

Mr Pitter said that Mr Polchowski was originally suspected, but is not a witness in the case.

"The prosecution say that on full analysis, a proper conclusion is in fact that the defendant was responsible for the murder of Stuart Everett." Mr Pitter said the defendant is also of Polish origin.

He said of the pair: "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."

Police discovered CCTV footage which showed a man entering Kersal Dale from Bury New Road 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 characters by way of clothing and in particular his notable shoulder length hair.” Jurors were shown a picture of Mr Majerkiewicz from the time when he had longer hair, which Mr Pitter said was ‘much shorter now’.

Police stopped Mr Majerkiewicz on April 25 after he was seen to match the person in the footage. He had two mobile phones, one of which belonged to Mr Everett and a number of bank cards belonging to Mr Everett. He gave his address as Worsley Road.

Mr Pitter said that police searched the premises and a skip outside. They found bloodstaining in 'key locations', including to an area of 'cut out carpet' in a room within the premises attributable to the defendant.

He claimed there was 'evidence of a significant cover-up operation from items discovered from the skip'.

Further CCTV investigations found that Mr Everett was not seen on any footage after March 27. Mr Pitter claimed that on March 28, Mr Majerkiewicz travelled to the nearby Worsley Woods with a wheelie bag, and returned without the bag.

Mr Pitter said: "Whilst no body parts were found in those woods, a black bin bag was found with blood that matched Stuart Everett." Later that day, Mr Majerkiewicz was allegedly seen carrying a 'large blue bag' away from Worsley Road to the area near Chesterfield Close.

The KC 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."

Mr Pitter claimed that Mr 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.

Mr Pitter said ‘about a third’ of Mr Everett’s body has been recovered. Jurors heard evidence from Dr Philip Lumb, who said that 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'.

The prosecutor claimed that Mr Majerkiewicz used Mr Everett's phone to access Mr Everett's ‘financial and personal affairs’ including bank accounts, Paypal accounts, and his Government gateway account, as well as sending messages to his family to give the impression he was still alive.

Jurors heard that Mr Majerkiewicz was interviewed by police on April 26. Prosecutors claimed he told a 'number of important lies', saying he knew nothing about the murder or the disposal of body parts, and that the last time he had seen Mr Everett was before Easter when Mr Everett said he was going to see his brother in Derby.

Mr Majerkiewicz did not give evidence during the trial.

On Thursday afternoon, jurors retired to consider their verdicts. In his summing up of the case, judge Mr Justice Cavanagh told them: “Respect each other’s opinions and don’t rush into a verdict to save time. The people involved in this case deserve more.”

Proceeding