Man jailed for life for ‘body in suitcase’ murder

A man who used an old friend for slave labour to decorate his flat, and then killed him when he finally downed tools, has today been sentenced for his murder. Lorenzo Simon murdered long-term pal Michael Spalding at the property in Oxford Road, Smethwick, before dismembering the body, stuffing it inside two suitcases and, along with girlfriend Michelle Bird, throwing them in Birmingham Canal.