Memphis man arrested after body of roommate found in suitcase

Police say a trail of blood led them from a suitcase containing a corpse to a suspect’s apartment

A man has been arrested in Tennessee after his roommate’s body was found in a suitcase.

Police say they found the bloody luggage on 12 December near a dumpster in Midtown, Memphis. Inside was the corpse of Bruce Jeffries, 63.

“On 12/12 at 9:50 pm, officers responded to a suspicious call at Pine and Eastmoreland,” the Memphis Police Department explained in a tweet. “A suitcase was located with a body inside.”

Preliminary information, the police department said, indicated that the victim “was struck with an object by a known suspect”.

After speaking to a witness and reviewing surveillance footage of the street, police tracked down and arrested Julian Summers, 30, who they say had lived with Mr Jeffries for two years.

Mr Summers has been charged with second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse, Fox 13 Memphis reported.

According to an affidavit, a witness told police he had seen a man dragging the suitcase down the alley where it was later found. The man attempted to throw the case in a dumpster, he said, but it was too heavy. Then he realized he was being watched and ran away, the witness said, leaving the suitcase behind.

Police say surveillance footage confirmed this story.

Physical evidence then filled in the gaps. After finding the suitcase, police followed a trail of blood it appeared to have left behind, leading them to the Broadmoor Apartments complex on South Cleveland Street. The trail stopped at the entrance of an apartment, the affidavit says, where the keys were still left in the door.

After obtaining a search warrant, police went inside. They reportedly found broken glass, blood, a broken mirror, and blood-covered clothes sitting in a washing machine.

And according to the affidavit, they also found a second suitcase, similar to the one containing Mr Jeffries’ body. Inside, police say, they found clothes and papers belonging to Mr Summers.

Mr Summers has not been convicted, and is presumed innocent until proven guilty. His first court appearance is scheduled for 29 December.

The Independent has reached out to the Memphis Police Department for comment.