Juan Toledo, a 51-year-old cleaner, stands accused of murdering his co-worker and former lover Yajaira Castro Mendez at their workplace in central London. The incident reportedly occurred on May 29, shortly after Ms Mendez arrived for her shift. Following her disappearance and a police investigation, her body was found in Hampshire days later. Prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC presented details in court, including accusations that Toledo used a wheelie bin to transport her body. He has been remanded in custody and is set for a plea hearing and subsequent trial in 2024.
The court heard Ms Mendez checked in to her work at 5pm on May 29, and it is alleged she had been murdered less than four hours later.
The defendant was Ms Mendez's work colleague, they were both cleaning staff at an office block in Gray's Inn Road. They had in the recent past been in a relationship.
Toledo is accused of using a wheelie bin to load her body into the boot of his car before driving to Hampshire.
He was remanded in custody by the judge on Tuesday, to appear again for a plea hearing on September 1.
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