Murder victim Sam Mechelewski was beaten around the head with a baseball bat, stabbed in the neck and left for dead at a country park, Cambridge Crown Court has heard today (Thursday).
The body of the 20-year-old, from Huntingdon, was discovered by a dog walker at Hinchingbrooke Country Park, on February 1.
Jordan Shepherd, 23, of Mayfly Close, Chatteris, and Ashley White, 20, of West End, Brampton, have denied his murder. Ciara Ratcliffe, 21, of Sycamore Drive, Huntingdon, also faces trial and has denied a charge of perverting the course of justice.
In the opening statement, prosecutor Richard Christie said: “On the night the victim, Sam Mechelewski, was lured into the wooded area in Hinchingbrooke Country Park and we believe that Jordan Shepherd and Ashley White killed him. He was beaten round the head with a baseball bat and stabbed in the neck. His body was found by a member of the public.”
The jury has heard that Mr Mechelewski was a drug dealer in the Huntingdon area and was “close friends” with Shepherd.
Mr Christie, told the court: “Sam was a drug dealer indeed and the prosecution does not challenge this. Ashley White and Jordan Shepherd are both blaming each other for the murder. You may not be clear about who precisely did what, but it is something that you will need to consider. You may never know the motivation of the crime, but hopefully witnesses in the case will help clear the events in your head.”
The jury were told that a man was walking his dog in the country park and it was, in fact, the dog who discovered the body.
The prosecution has outlined what they believe to be the night’s events, which ended with Mechelewski, Shepherd and White, all going into Hinchingbrooke Country Park.
Earlier in the day, Shepherd and White were picked up on CCTV at 4.40pm at Halfords, in Huntingdon, and the pair later went to buy jogging bottoms and jumpers at Tesco, in Huntingdon. These items have never been recovered, the court was told.
When first interviewed by police, after the discovery of the body, Shepherd said he was worried about Mr Mechelewski as he hadn’t heard from him that day. He then told officers that Mr Mechelewski had sometimes lived at a flat he shared with Ratcliffe.
All three deny the charges against them.
The case continues.
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