A failed asylum seeker man has been convicted of murdering and dismembering a woman who went missing on a night out.
Azam Mangori, 24, killed Lorraine Cox, 32, in his room above an Exeter kebab shop in September last year.
She could have been suffocated as the T-shirt she had been wearing was found in her mouth.
The Iraqi national cut her body into seven pieces over the course of a week and disposed of her clothing and possessions in bins and woodland.
After murdering Miss Cox, Mangori then used her SIM card in his mobile phone to pretend she was alive and well to family and friends.
They reported her missing to the police before the terrible truth was finally discovered.
Azam Mangori, aged 23, has this afternoon been found guilty of the murder of Lorraine Cox
Miss Cox was last seen walking home from a night out with friends in September last year
Following a four-week trial at Exeter Crown Court, Mangori, of no fixed address, was convicted of murder by a jury after six hours of deliberations.
He had previously admitted a separate charge of preventing Miss Cox’s lawful burial.
Miss Cox was last seen walking home from a night out with friends at about 1.30am on September 1.
Prosecutors said a drunken Miss Cox and Mangori had a ‘sexual encounter’ in an alleyway before they went back to his flat above the Bodrum Kebab House.
Her whereabouts remained a mystery to her family for a week until Mangori – a failed asylum seeker from Iraq liable to deportation – was arrested by detectives.
Lorraine’s body remained in the flat until September 8. Mangori spent the first day looking through her belongings, hacking into her phone, emails and online social networks.
The prosecution claimed he tried to steal her money by setting up a PayPal account.
Later that evening he took a Snapchat video of himself vaping on his bed and listening to music with the lyrics ‘Angels deserve to die’.
He responded to concerned friends of Lorraine by pretending she was still alive and saying she was making a new start in Plymouth.
The messages included one to her father saying ‘Hey Papa, I’m sorry. I’m in Plymouth. Please forgive me.’ Another said: ‘I love you Papa. Changing my number. I will text to you my new number.’
The scene after police launched the murder investigation into missing woman Lorraine Cox
Mangori, who was remanded into custody, will be sentenced on April 7 by Mr Justice Garnham
Azam Mangori, 24, killed Lorraine Cox, 32, in his room above a kebab shop in September
He deliberately mimicked Lorraine’s use of words like ‘Papa’ to make the false messages seem genuine.
Friends recognised the person responding was not Lorraine and he gave up the act on September 3 after being told that police were being called.
Prosecutor Simon Laws QC told the court the defendant had a ‘morbid interest in amputation’ and days before and after the murder had looked at images relating to the subject.
Mr Laws said: ‘Given the dates he viewed this material, you may think it is clear he was interested in the topic before he had any need for information.
‘He did not have the dead body of Lorraine Cox in his room until a couple of days later. When he did, he performed a neat and professional amputation of her limbs.’
Mangori looked at videos of people with amputations, as well as those with deformities to their legs and one of a woman’s lower leg experiencing cramp.
‘You will no doubt want to consider whether it was this interest that may have motivated him to commit this murder,’ he said.
Mangori purchased items to dispose of Miss Cox’s body over a number of days, including a trowel after viewing a website entitled: ‘How to dig a grave by hand.’
A pathologist was unable to determine a cause of Miss Cox’s death due to the length of time between her murder and remains being found.
Giving evidence, Mangori told the jury she died suddenly after sex in his bedroom having been drinking and taking drugs.
He said he panicked when he discovered her lying dead on the floor, and left her in his room for several days before wrapping her body in clingfilm, bin liners and tape.
‘I just remember waking up, like it was a nightmare. I just freaked out when I saw her. I just dragged her on to my bed because she looked really cold,’ he said.
‘Deep down I knew she was dead but I thought she would wake up.’
Mangori, who was remanded into custody, will be sentenced on April 7 by Mr Justice Garnham.
