TWO people are to stand trial charged with murdering a woman and chopping up her body.
Steven Jackson, 40, and Michelle Higgins, 28, are accused of killing Kimberley MacKenzie at a flat in Montrose, Angus last October.
Prosecutors claim the 37 year-old was struck with a hammer, machete and knife or similar items.
Jackson and Higgins then face an allegation of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
It is claimed Kimberley’s body was dismembered using a saw, knives and a screwdriver or similar instruments.
Parts of the corpse are said to have been wrapped in bin liners and bags and hidden in bins at a number of addresses in Montrose.
It is further alleged Kimberley’s head and other body parts were put inside a rucksack and case and concealed in a shower cubicle.
Walls, floors and other surfaces of the alleged murder flat are said to have been cleaned.
Caustic soda and bleach are also alleged to have been poured into a bath. Clothes and footwear are finally said to have been disposed of.
The charge claims this was all done “with intent to avoid detection, arrest and prosecution”.
The accusation spans the day of the alleged killing and November 4 last year.
Jackson is further charged with two separate drugs accusations as well as having a machete in a public place.
Higgins faces a similar allegation of having a knife.
The pair today appeared for a short hearing at the High Court in Glasgow.
Jackson’s QC Donald Findlay and Higgins lawyer Mark Stewart QC each pled not guilty on their behalf.
Judge Lady Scott set a trial due to take place in September in Edinburgh.
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