Man allegedly murdered in Oxford by cat killer was in good mood before his death – court hears
The trial over the death of Jorge Martin Carreno continues.
A factory worker found dead in a river had been “happy and in a good mood” hours before he was allegedly murdered by a cat killer obsessed with violence and death, a court heard.
Jorge Martin Carreno, 30, was walking home alone after a night out socialising with work colleagues in Oxford city centre when he was allegedly targeted by Scarlet Blake, 25.
The BMW worker’s body was found in the River Cherwell at Parsons Pleasure having received what appeared to be a blow to the back of his head and then drowning.
Prosecutors allege Blake killed the Spanish national because she had a “fixation with violence” and, months earlier, had live-streamed the sadistic killing and dissection of a cat – including putting it in a blender.
The defendant is accused of inflicting blows to Mr Carreno’s head before trying to strangle him and then putting him in the river where he drowned.
Oxford Crown Court heard Mr Carreno’s former partner describe how he had been looking forward to getting on with his life and was not suicidal at the time of his death.
Irene Hidalgo, who was in a relationship with him between 2017 and 2021, said Mr Carreno had suffered from periods of depression before they met.
“He was shy but at the same time kind. If he could do something for you, he would,” she said.
“He was very trusting. He trusted everyone even if you told him not to. He was making jokes all the time.
“He was an active and joyful person. He was the kindest person I ever met.”
After arriving in the UK in 2019 to work at BMW, Mr Carreno underwent therapy, Miss Hidalgo said.
“It had a huge positive effect upon him.”
She explained that after they split, they remained friends and kept in regular contact with each other.
She said on his birthday, weeks before his death, he was “happy”.
Breaking down in tears, she said he told her: “I’m ready to enjoy every single drop of this life. I spent too much time worrying.”
Miss Hidalgo said Mr Carreno had been messaging her during the evening and when he stopped replying she became worried.
“I started reaching out to the people I knew he was with that night,” she said.
“I was contacting people and went to his house to check if he was there or not.
“I just had a bad feeling and wanted to check he was okay. Maybe I was acting over-protective, I was trying to care too much. I just wanted to make sure he was okay.
“At that point I hadn’t seen the double tick of WhatsApp. I was worried for him … nothing crossed my mind specifically.”
She told jurors she knew Mr Carreno’s password for his Google account and was able to see that his phone had last been active in the Parsons Pleasure area and went there – entering the water to see how he could have drowned.
“I was trying to find out how Jorge couldn’t get out from that place. It was muddy and disgusting and nothing was trapping me like roots,” she said.
“I do believe for him it’s impossible to drown in 1ft of water. He was a good swimmer. He was stronger than me.”
Jurors also heard from Mr Carreno’s work colleague, Sashko Stoimenov, who had been with him on a night out in Oxford city centre hours before he died.
Describing the atmosphere among the group of nine friends, Mr Stoimenov said: “Everyone happy, smiling and joking.”
Asked how Mr Carreno seemed in the Cow & Creek pub, Mr Stoimenov replied: “Happy, he was happy, good mood.
“He was saying he wanted to settle down and wanted to get married and have children and a family.”
The court has heard Blake had an “extreme interest in death and in harm” and killed the family pet after watching a Netflix documentary called Don’t F*** with Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer.
In the programme the man, Luka Magnotta, kills kittens before filming a murder.
Jurors have also seen videos of the defendant and her partner engaging in consensual strangulation with ligatures.
The defendant, of Crotch Crescent, Oxford, denies murder.
The trial was adjourned until Thursday. Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.