A man who murdered a woman in England gave police a map of the place where he buried her remains
Karl Hutchings gave authorities a map that led to the body of Julie Buckley, murdered at the end of January 2025
A man who confessed to murdering a missing woman in early 2025 gave police a map of where he buried her remains.
After Karl Hutchings, 48, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to the murder of Julie Buckley, 55, he presented police with a map showing the location of her remains, prosecutor Christine Agnew told Cambridge Crown Court, according to the BBC, ITV and Sky News.
That map led authorities to Buckley's body, which had been found dismembered into ten pieces and buried in a shallow grave in the town of Wimblington, in Cambridgeshire, England, Agnew told the court.
Buckley was last seen alive on January 28, 2025 in security camera footage from a supermarket in the Cambridgeshire town of March, according to the BBC. She was apparently staying with Hutchings at his home in the town of Christchurch at the time of her disappearance.
Concern about Buckley's whereabouts began when he failed to show up for his appointments. According to Cambridgeshire Police, officers attended Hutchings' home on February 13 and found traces of blood at the property, which were later forensically linked to her.
“It quickly became apparent that something serious had happened to Julie, given the sudden and complete disruption of her communications since January 28,” Chief Inspector Richard Stott said in September.
Agnew claimed in court that Buckley was likely murdered between January 29 and 30, 2025, as the woman last used her phone on January 29.
The next day, Hutchings went to a store and used his bank card to buy alcohol, according to the BBC. The lawyer also alleged that Hutchings later sold his car for 500 pounds (approximately $669).
As for how Hutchings killed Buckley, Agnew alleged that the 48-year-old man hit her in the head with a hammer, initially stunning her, before hitting her again, finishing her off.
Hutchings confessed to killing the woman because she was stealing from him and had tried to convince him he was crazy, according to the BBC and ITV.
However, Agnew indicated that the exact trigger and precise sequence of events may never be known with certainty.
The lawyer also noted that Hutchings had been released from a psychiatric unit less than three months before the murder and that he pleaded guilty only after being informed that the psychiatrist's report did not support the claim of diminished responsibility.