Man with horror movie obsession sawed housemate into 27 pieces
The killer fooled the victim’s family into thinking he was still alive by sending texts and a birthday card
A horror movie obsessive has been found guilty of murdering his housemate, who he sawed into 27 pieces.
Marcin Majerkiewicz, 42, bludgeoned Stuart Everett with a hammer at their home in Winton, Salford in March 2024.
He then used a hacksaw to dismember Mr Everett, 67, and cut off his face.
Majerkiewicz then put Mr Everett’s body parts into plastic bags and dumped them at various locations around Salford and Manchester, including a nature reserve and a walking trail.
Police say Majerkiewicz had an obsession with gore and gruesome horror – including a tattoo of Jason, the villain from the slasher film Friday the 13th.
He pleaded not guilty to murder, but offered no evidence in his defence during trial. His motive is unknown.
Jurors returned a guilty verdict in under two hours of deliberations following a three-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.
Mr Justice Cavanagh told Majerkiewicz that he faces a mandatory life sentence. The judge will set the minimum time before parole at sentencing on March 28.
Police were first alerted to the case about a week after Mr Everett’s death, when the torso of the former civil servant was discovered at Kersal Dale nature reserve by a member of the public.
Majerkiewicz was arrested three weeks later.
He told officers they had made a “mistake 100 per cent”, but when they searched his home, they found evidence of blood and an attempted clean-up.
Only a third of Mr Everett’s body has been recovered.
The victim was born to Polish parents in the UK and originally named Roman Ziemacki. He first met Majerkiewicz while teaching English to recently arrived Polish immigrants.
He was known as ‘Benny’ to his family, was not married and had no children. He enjoyed gardening, cricket and singer Frank Sinatra.
In 2013, he began living in a three-bed terrace house on Worsley Road in the Winton area of Salford.
He began sub-letting the two other bedrooms, with Majerkiewicz moving in during 2017.
The defendant had worked as a manager at fast-food shops in the Trafford Centre but was unemployed at the time of the murder and about £60,000 in debt.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Hughes, who headed the investigation for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: “The motive for the killing is unclear.
“We don’t know why he removed the face, if it’s something, [a] sort of weird fantasy or behaviour or it’s just an attempt to mask identification, we don’t know.
“But we haven’t confirmed any clear motive, these are all relevant factors in what may have been going on, financial issues, debt, problems paying the bills, potentially relationship between the two of them.”
Marjerkiewicz had a “fixation” with horror and gore, which was evident from his search history, the videos he watched, and his tattoos, Mr Hughes said.
“But we cannot tell you any one reason or any combination of reasons as to exactly what the motive was for the murder.”
Mr Everett’s family initially had no idea he was dead.
Majerkiewicz had assumed use of his finances and his mobile phone, even sending text messages and a birthday card to the family purporting to be from the victim.
He had been searching online for properties to rent in the Alicante area of Spain before his arrest.
Rebecca Macaulay-Addison, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) North West’s Complex Casework Unit, 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.
“Majerkiewicz not only stole a loved one from those who cared for Mr Everett – his subsequent actions are almost certain to have compounded their pain and suffering.
“Our thoughts remain with Mr Everett’s family for the loss they have endured, and we hope today’s conviction will provide some sense of justice for this unspeakable crime.”