Murder victim Kevin Davidson’s body was found hidden under a sleeping bag in the back yard of the house in south Belfast where he had squatted with his alleged killers, a court has heard.
Police claimed the 34-year-old had been strangled with a clothes line following a row with his ex-partner Jade Harrison and her new boyfriend Colm McClenaghan.
Harrison (35) and McClenaghan (32) appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court jointly charged with carrying out the murder sometime between July 9 and July 20.
The remains of Mr Davidson, who was reported missing earlier this month, were located last Saturday during searches at the address on Donegall Avenue.
Both defendants deny any involvement, insisting that they believed he had left the property after walking in on them having sex.
But a detective disclosed that the discovery was made when police who were initially carrying out a missing person investigation returned to the house for a third time.
She said Mr Davidson’s body was found in the rear yard, concealed under a sleeping bag and bin liners with weights used to keep them in place.
Preliminary post-mortem findings indicated that a ligature had been tightly applied around his neck, causing fractures to small bones.
A piece of clothes line had been used to strangle him in the back yard, according to the police case.
It was suggested that air fresheners, aftershave and perfume recovered from the scene may have been used to cover any smells.
The court heard Harrison, of Donegall Avenue, McClenaghan, of no fixed abode, and Mr Davidson had spent weeks squatting in the house owned by someone currently in prison.
The property was described as a venue for both drug-taking and dealing.
Referring to statements from witnesses, the detective said Mr Davidson claimed before his death that Harrison had stolen a phone and £300 from him.
In the last telephone calls to his mother, he allegedly accused her of cheating on him and stated: “They are going to beat me up.”
Police also contended that McClenaghan mockingly responded to a threat of violence from the deceased by telling him: “We will see who’s jaw gets broken.”
The court heard Mr Davidson, who lived a transient lifestyle, was involved in a suspected suicide attempt at a bridge and received hospital treatment for a drug overdose just days before he was reported missing.
CCTV footage showed him being assaulted by another unidentified individual in south Belfast while in the company of the two accused in the early hours of July 9.
But defence lawyers argued that Harrison and McClenaghan had saved his life by coming to his aid during the suicide attempt and in taking him to hospital.
Neither of them knew he was lying dead in the rear of the house that they believed he left that morning following the row over their relationship, it was claimed.
A detective said there is currently no forensic evidence linking either accused to the murder.
Harrison’s lawyer, Una Conway, argued: “It’s all speculation… being charged (with murder) is premature.”
Solicitor Roise Fitzpatrick, representing McClenaghan, accused police of “clutching at straws” without specifying her client’s role in the alleged killing.
“Mr McClenaghan made every attempt to help Mr Davidson, he saved his life on two separate occasions and remained at the property because he was totally oblivious to the fact Mr Davidson’s body was tragically in the backyard.”
It was also stressed that both defendants co-operated with the police investigation.
However, District Judge Anne Marshall ruled there was sufficient evidence to connect Harrison and McClenaghan to the charge of murder.
With no applications for bail, she remanded the pair in custody until August 22.