Man Murders Roommate And Drags Suitcase Stuffed With His Body Through Alley; Arrested

A Tennessee man was arrested Tuesday for the murder of his 63-year-old roommate. The grim discovery was made after officials found a suitcase with the corpse stuffed inside it, cops revealed.

On Dec. 12 at around 9:50 p.m., the police were notified of a lone suitcase in an alley behind a bank at Pine Street and Eastmoreland Avenue, in Memphis. Cops arrived to find a body inside the suitcase, according to an affidavit.

The victim was identified as Bruce Jefferies, who died from blunt force trauma to the head, the affidavit said, as reported by NBC News.

A witness revealed to cops that a man dragged the suitcase through the alley and tried to throw it into a dumpster. But, because the suitcase was too heavy, he failed to dispose of it. The man soon decided to abandon the suitcase in the alley and flee the scene after realizing that someone was watching him.

A trail of blood, left behind by the suitcase, led investigators to an apartment complex on South Cleveland Street. They found their way into the apartment, where Jefferies lived with his 30-year-old roommate, Julian Summers. Several signs showed that a struggle had taken place inside the unit.

Along with blood in the apartment, cops also found another suitcase, smaller but similar to the one found in the alley, containing Summers’ belongings, reported Miami Herald.

Investigators also retrieved surveillance videos from the complex. The footage corroborated with the witness’ account and showed Summers trying to get rid of the suitcase. Cameras outside the bank also captured Summers unsuccessfully attempting to throw the suitcase in the dumpster.

Summers and Jeffries lived together for the past two years, authorities said. The affidavit also noted that Summers was “known to be involved in a domestic relationship” with the victim, according to Jeffries’ brother.

Summers was arrested Tuesday and taken into custody. He now faces charges of second-degree murder, tampering with/fabricating evidence and abuse of a corpse.

Josh Moore, who lives close to where the suitcase was found, said he “didn’t like” that the spine-chilling discovery was made in his neighborhood, according to WREG News Channel 3.

“It’s a little bit too close for home but I think crime happens everywhere,” Moore said. “It’s happening in Germantown, it’s happening everywhere. With COVID, I didn’t like that it’s in my neighborhood but I think everywhere all over the city.”