MAN ARRESTED FOR MURDERING HIS WIFE BEFORE CHOPPING HER BODY INTO 200 PIECES
A 28-year-old man Nicholas Metson has pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife, Holly Bramley before chopping her body into 200 pieces and storing them in the kitchen larder. He killed his wife just before the couple were about to separate, reported the BBC. The investigation started when officials were informed about the woman's body parts floating in the River Witham on March 2023. In his plea to the Lincoln Crown Court, Metson described in detail how he took the help of his friend Joshua Hancock to dispose of Bramley's body. He had kept the body in his flay for a week before disposing of his wife's mortal remains and had paid Hancock 50 pounds for assisting him.
The man has maintained silence on why he killed his 26-year-old wife. Prosecutor Gordon Aspden shared in the proceedings that Lincolnshire Police visited the couple's flat to conduct a welfare check on Bramley. During this probe, Metson lied that his wife had left home with a local mental health support group on 19 March. He also claimed that his wife was abusive, and even showed them a mark on his forearm to prove it. "At one point, Mr. Metson joked she might be hiding under the bed," said Mr Aspden. The officials noted many discrepancies such as a strong smell of ammonia and bleach, bloodstained sheets in the bathtub, and a number of large dark stains on the floor in the main bedroom. However since they did not have solid evidence, they could not take Metson into custody at that time.
The following day a walker spotted the body parts floating on River Latham and contacted the police. Divers got to work and discovered 224 pieces, but despite their efforts, some parts could not be found. They were sent for autopsy and the experts concluded that Bramley must have been stabbed multiple times in the bedroom before being moved to the bathroom for dismembering her corpse. They also mentioned that the bite mark on Metson's arm could be a result of Bramley's attempt to break free from a stranglehold. Soon after Metson killed his wife, he emptied her bank accounts and searched things like "What benefits do I get if my wife has died" and "Can someone haunt me after they die" on the internet.
This isn't the first time Metson has been accused of being violent with his partners. Former partners have accused him of abuse in 2013, 2016 and 2017. Annette Bramley called Metson manipulative and toxic. In her opinion, his coercive control over Bramley isolated her, leaving her without family by her side. Bramley's mother directly addressed Metson in court and blamed him for giving her a "life sentence of grief."
"The heinous way in which she was murdered and dismembered has left us in such unimaginable pain," she added in her statement. Hancock, who helped Metson in disposing of the body, has pled guilty to obstructing the Lincolnshire Coroner in the execution of his duty.