Part of Jigsaw's puzzle

Jeffrey Howe who was only 49 years old when he was horrifically murdered, he was tragically killed by his lodger, dismembered, and disposed of in various locations. During the trial, a shocking confession was made, leading to the case being known as the Jigsaw Killer, Jigsaw Murder, or Jigsaw Man. For those who appreciate true crime narratives, I encourage you to subscribe to my channel.

To provide some context regarding the three individuals involved in this case, the victim, Jeffrey Howe, was a 49-year-old kitchen salesman residing in Southgate, North London. He was financially secure and had a diverse career, having worked throughout the UK and even spent time as a chef in Italy. Adopted at a young age, his brother characterized him as a jovial and charming individual with a heart of gold, someone who easily connected with others.

Unlike Stephen Marshall that is aged 38, was a personal trainer specializing in bodybuilding and had previously worked as a bouncer in London. He once owned a gym in St. Albans. His criminal record included multiple convictions for offenses such as criminal damage, assault, battery, cocaine possession, and illegal possession of a firearm. In 2003, he assaulted his first wife and was arrested in connection with the murder of Minesha Gretchen in 1996, following the discovery of her charred remains; however, he was never formally charged. Marshall reportedly spent significant sums of money on prostitutes, cocaine, and steroids, leading a lifestyle reminiscent of a playboy. Additionally, he was deeply entrenched in the criminal underworld.

Stephen's girlfriend, a 20-year-old named Sarah Bush, had been introduced to him when he employed her as a sex worker. Sarah had spent a significant portion of her childhood in foster care and had given birth to a child at the age of 15, which tragically passed away after just ten days. Stephen insisted that she alter the spelling of her name from "Sarah" to "Sarah" with an "h," simply because he preferred it that way. The couple had been residing with Sarah's mother until November 2008, when she expelled Stephen from their home, leaving them without a place to stay. Jeffrey, a close friend of Stephen's whom he had met through their kitchen sales business, offered them accommodation in his spare room at his flat in Southgate, London. They lived there without paying rent, but after five months, Jeffrey expressed to a friend that their presence was straining his finances. When he requested that they vacate the premises, they refused. In a deceitful act, they forged Jeffrey's signature to fraudulently claim housing benefits, falsely asserting that he was renting the entire property to Sarah. Unbeknownst to Jeffrey, he never received any of the funds. As tensions escalated among the three, Stephen and Sarah conspired to murder Jeffrey and seize his money. They executed their sinister plan on the night of either March 8th or 9th, 2009.

While Jeffrey was asleep in his bed, Stephen inflicted two stab wounds to his back with a four-inch blade, one of which penetrated his lung. During this attack, Sarah covered Jeffrey's face with a pillow to muffle his screams. It is believed that Jeffrey may have remained alive for up to an hour following the stabbing. After his death, Stephen and Sarah transported Jeffrey's body to the bathroom, where they began to dismember him. They subsequently disposed of his body parts in various locations throughout Hertfordshire and Leicester. Additionally, they needed to eliminate Jeffrey's blood-stained mattress and purchased air beds less than a day after the murder. Following this, Sarah and Stephen commenced the process of draining Jeffrey's assets. They utilized his credit cards, opened new credit accounts, and sold his mobile phone to a cash converter shop for £15, along with other pieces of his furniture. Sarah accessed the internet at the St. Albans library to acquire a new mobile phone and set up an account with the retailer Littlewoods using Jeffrey's personal information. They ordered various takeaways and arranged for supermarket deliveries to multiple addresses associated with both individuals.

They initiated a series of transactions by writing checks to one another, utilizing Jeffrey's checkbook. One such check, amounting to 850 pounds, was deposited into Sarah's account on March 12th. In total, they had embezzled approximately 5,000 pounds from Jeffrey. On March 21st, they sold Jeffrey's Saab car on eBay. Prior to transferring the vehicle to the buyer, Stephen replaced the original number plates with those from his own car, removing Jeffrey's personalized plates. Stephen was later captured on CCTV footage driving away from a petrol station without making payment, in a vehicle displaying Jeffrey's plates.

Jeffrey learned that Sarah had confided in her friend, a sex worker, claiming that she had witnessed Jeffrey's murder. Upon discovering this, Stephen visited her residence and issued a death threat if she disclosed any information. He then violently threw her across the room before departing.

A friend of Jeffrey's visited the couple at their flat and found them alone. They claimed ignorance regarding Jeffrey's whereabouts, stating he had been missing for several weeks. When asked if they had reported him missing, they admitted they had not. After attempting to contact him, she reported him as a missing person on March 15, 2009. The following day, police arrived at Jeffrey's flat, where Sarah insisted she had no knowledge of his location, asserting that he had simply left and had not returned to collect rent for weeks.

Jeffrey's mother, who typically received calls from him several times each week, grew increasingly concerned when she had not heard from him for several weeks. Consequently, she contacted the police prior to April 21st to report him as missing. Shortly after Jeffrey's murder, reports began to emerge from the public regarding the discovery of body parts in various locations across Hertfordshire and Leicestershire. The first finding occurred at approximately 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, 2009, when a farmer stumbled upon a sports bag discarded on farmland near a lay-by on the A-507 in Cottridge. Upon opening the bag, the farmer discovered two blue carrier bags containing an unknown substance. After poking the contents with his finger, he suspected it might be either a piece of meat or something more disturbing, prompting him to alert the police.

Upon the arrival of law enforcement at the location, they discovered bags that, when opened, contained a human leg severed at the hip, with the foot still attached. Authorities noted that the bag was inadequately concealed, suggesting it had been discarded in haste. The leg was subsequently taken for examination in an effort to identify its owner, prompting the initiation of a murder investigation. Pathologists assessed that the leg had likely been at the site for less than a week.

A subsequent discovery occurred a week later, on March 29, when a left forearm was located on a grassy verge along Drover's Lane in Hertfordshire. On March 31, a farmer unearthed a head in a cattle pen within a field in Ashford B, Leicestershire, approximately 100 miles from the initial discovery site. The head had been mutilated, with flesh removed and the eyes, ears, tongue, and neck severed. In response, police deployed 100 officers to scour the area for additional body parts, but their search yielded no further findings.

On April 7th, a right leg was discovered in a holdall near the A10 Puckridge bypass in Hertfordshire by a driver who had paused for a break. Subsequently, on April 11th, a decomposing torso, along with a right arm and an upper left arm, was found in a ditch by a passerby near Standin, Hertfordshire, contained within a green suitcase of the same brand as the holdall. All recovered body parts were sent for analysis, confirming that they belonged to a single individual. The torso exhibited a stab wound to the back, which pathologists determined to be the cause of death.

Additionally, they noted that the head was missing two teeth and that one toe on the foot showed signs of a fungal infection. The manner in which the body had been dissected astonished the experts, who commented on the professional and precise nature of the dissection, suggesting that the perpetrator may have had a background in the medical field or butchery.

The entire process was reported to have taken approximately 12 hours. At that time, both of Jeffrey's hands were still unaccounted for and have remained so to this day. It is suspected that they may be interred in Epping Forest.

Residents in the vicinity grew increasingly fearful of what might be discovered next, while law enforcement believed that the perpetrator was toying with them. The police reached out to the public, hoping that someone could provide a lead regarding the identity of the individual. They faced significant challenges in identifying the victim, as his DNA was not present in the database. Furthermore, they could not find any matches in missing persons reports due to the dissection of the body, which had resulted in the removal of facial features, leaving them uncertain about the victim's gender.

A month into the investigation, they still had no leads. They enlisted the assistance of forensic anthropologists to attempt a facial reconstruction, who determined that the head belonged to a middle-aged male. The police once again appealed to the public for assistance in identifying the victim and received a call from Jeffrey's mother, who reported him missing and speculated that he might be the deceased individual. Subsequently, two police officers visited Jeffrey's apartment at 11:30 AM on April 21st.

Sarah and Stephen were present at the scene when questioned by the police. They informed the authorities that they were unaware of Jeffrey's whereabouts and noted that he had not collected rent from them for several weeks. However, they expressed their belief that he was still alive. Sarah mentioned that Jeffrey had been experiencing depression and was having difficulty managing his life.

Upon inspecting the apartment, the police found no apparent signs of blood or any evidence indicating a murder had occurred. They discovered Jeffrey's passport on a coffee table, and in Stephen's room, they located Jeffrey's license plate concealed in the back of the wardrobe.

The police found both Stephen and Sarah to be suspicious; they appeared anxious and uncomfortable, with Stephen visibly shaking. The authorities reached out to the homicide team to inquire whether they should arrest the two, but were instructed to return to the police station for further deliberation on the next steps.

Less than two hours after the initial discovery, the police returned and apprehended the couple on suspicion of murder, despite not yet knowing the identity of the deceased. They were transported to a police station in Hertfordshire for interrogation.

During questioning, Sarah informed the authorities that Stephen experienced severe mood swings and that she had been contemplating leaving him due to his previous acts of violence against her. She also revealed that Stephen had threatened to kill her former partner and dispose of the body in Epping Forest. Furthermore, Stephen had claimed to have dismembered bodies in the past.

The police noted that Stephen appeared to be a pleasant and courteous individual; however, during his interview, he opted to provide no comment in response to all inquiries. While the two suspects remained in custody, forensic investigators arrived at their residence to search for evidence.

Blood was discovered beneath the carpet in both the bedroom and the bathroom, leading investigators to believe that the murder occurred in the bedroom and that dismemberment took place in the bathroom. Forensic specialists analyzed the duct tape used to wrap the body parts and identified green fibers that matched a t-shirt found in Stephen's bedroom, as well as blue fibers that corresponded to the air beds purchased by Stephen and Sarah after disposing of Jeffrey's blood-stained mattress.

On April 23, 2009, while in custody, the police received confirmation from dental records identifying the body as that of Jeffrey Howe. When confronted with this evidence, both Stephen and Sarah denied involvement in the murder, instead shifting blame onto one another.

After 72 hours in custody, they were charged with murder, perverting the course of justice, dismembering a body, and obstructing a coroner from conducting an inquest. They were subsequently remanded in custody, awaiting their court appearance.

On May 1, 2009, they appeared at Stevenage Magistrates' Court, where they entered a plea of not guilty. The case was then referred to the Crown Court for trial, which commenced on January 12, 2010, at St. Albans Crown Court. On the first day of the trial, prior to the jury being sworn in, Stephen altered his plea to guilty, but only in relation to the dismemberment of the body, maintaining his innocence regarding the murder charge.

A number of witnesses were summoned, including two of Sarah's friends, who testified that she had admitted, while intoxicated, to assisting Stephen in the murder of Jeffrey by placing a pillow over his face. As the trial progressed, a portrait of Stephen emerged, depicting him as an aggressive and domineering individual who threatened both men and women with violence when they obstructed him.

On January 29th, three weeks into the proceedings, Stephen acknowledged the overwhelming evidence against him and altered his plea to guilty of murder. He also made a startling confession in court, revealing that he had dismembered four additional bodies between 1995 and 1998, disposing of them in the Mineping Forest while employed by the criminal Adams family in London. He declined to provide any details regarding these victims.

A female witness testified that Stephen had disclosed information about these murders, claiming he had used meat cleavers, large knives, and occasionally a chainsaw or hacksaw to butcher his victims. He further recounted that he had incinerated some of them, describing the odor of burning flesh. On February 1st, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 36 years.

On February 1, Sarah altered her plea to guilty and received a sentence of three years and nine months for obstructing justice by assisting Stephen in transporting Geoffrey's head to Leicestershire. Additionally, she was given a concurrent sentence of two years and three months for providing false information regarding her whereabouts.

Although she was acquitted of murder, she ultimately served 45 months in prison. In November 2010, Stephen submitted an appeal in hopes of obtaining a reduced sentence; however, his appeal was repeatedly denied and ultimately dismissed, necessitating that he complete his sentence. Marshall is presently incarcerated in a maximum-security prison in the United Kingdom, the location of which remains undisclosed. He will not be eligible for parole until 2046, when he will be 74 years old.