The suspect in the murder of a young model whose dismembered body was found inside luggage in the back of a BMW in Oregon pleaded not guilty Thursday to the accusations.
Jeremiah Johnston, 35, appeared before a judge Thursday on charges of murder and first-degree abuse of a corpse after the remains of Sara Zghoul, 28, were found last week inside a black BMW parked near his parents’ home in Aloha, the Oregonian reports.
Johnston, an ex-con who was recently released from prison and on probation after pleading guilty to cocaine possession, tried to slash his throat and wrists Wednesday as cops took him into custody, law enforcement sources told the newspaper.
He was booked into Washington County Jail, where he reportedly is on suicide watch and being held without bail.
Investigators have yet to disclose a possible motive in Zghoul’s killing or what circumstances led to her death, but court and public records show that their families live just a half-mile from each other in Aloha, a town of roughly 50,000 people west of Portland.
Deputy Jeff Talbot of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said investigators have linked Johnston to the BMW where Zghoul’s decapitated and dismembered body was found, but Talbot declined to specify who owned the vehicle.
Johnston, who had visible scars on his neck during the hearing, has multiple criminal convictions dating back to 2014 for drugs, guns and identity theft.
Zghoul, meanwhile, was characterized as a “beautiful soul” in a statement released by her family Tuesday to the Oregonian.
“We ask that the public respect our wishes to grieve in peace,” the Zghoul family’s statement read. “We have lost our daughter, mother, sister, and friend; beautiful osul who will remain in our hearts forever. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.”