Jade Marsh’s “mutilated” body was found in a room sealed with a rope, according to Mold Crown Court. The 27-year-old was found at her home in Shotton, Flintshire, North Wales, on August 26 last year.
The court heard Russell Mars, 29, being filmed by police at a police station telling them he “did something horrible” just before his ex-partner’s body was found. Marsh, of Chevrons Road in Shotton, denies murder and an alternative charge of negligent homicide, Wales Online reports.
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Jade, who also used the surname Ward, was pronounced dead at the scene after a visit by emergency services. A pathology report found that she had suffered multiple wounds “all over her body”, including her face and hands, while marks from the handle left her bruised and there were signs of “defensive” wounds around her arms that showed that had made “attempts to fight” her attacker.
Marsh was working a night shift for Bio Energy’s employer in Ellesmere Port the night Mrs. Ward was killed, prosecutor Michael Jones told QC jurors. He said the accused had told his boss he had to leave several hours in his shift because his brother had taken an overdose and had to go to the hospital, a claim the court heard was “completely untrue”.
Marsh was monitored by CCTV, ANPR cameras and telephone boats heading north to Wales and arriving at the family’s former home in Shotton. The court heard how Marsh had “controlled” the relationship, which had ended “for good” in the summer, after they had separated in three different cases.
The co-worker, Mrs Ward, allegedly shared a kiss with another man at a post-divorce party and is “continuing” her life, according to the court. After arriving at the property, Marsh allegedly attacked her with a knife before strangling her and then surrendering to police the next day.
Defendant told police his wife was upstairs and dead in her bed, according to the court. When police forced him into the property, they found Mrs. Ward in blood-stained pajamas covered with a pile of clothes. The door was also “locked with a rope cord”, it was heard at the trial.
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Mr Jones told the court that Mrs Ward’s cause of death was considered suffocation, which could only be caused by another person. She added that her body had been “mutilated”.
Today, while being questioned in court by Christopher Terhani QC’s lawyer, Marsh admitted that he strangled Ms. Ward to death and had no legitimate reason to do so. However, he denied that he intended to kill or seriously injure Ms. Ward.
Marsh, a father of five who dropped out of school at 16 with two GCSEs in science and religion, confirmed that there was a seven-month period in 2017 when he was fired – in a different company – due to poor mental health caused by “Stress and anxiety”. During this time he was taking medication.
Defendant also told the court he owed a debt of about .000 30,000 in 2019 after home renovations and payment of the marriage between him and Mrs Ward. The couple have been together for just over nine years in total. Marsh said they had “difficult times” throughout – more towards the end of the relationship. He said the couple was “tired” and “drained” and claimed they had “almost nothing” when it came to physical intercourse.
In the summer of 2019, shortly after their wedding, the couple had divorced for “various reasons”, the court heard, but later they were reconciled within a few days. At the time of the split, Marsh was accused of bruising Mrs. Ward’s wrists. He said he had “never been violent” with Ms Warda.
Marsh denies the murder and an alternative charge of negligent homicide. The case, which is being heard by Judge Rhys Rowlands and is expected to last two weeks, is ongoing.
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