Trial underway for man charged in London hotel killing

CTV London: Murder trial underway The trial of a man accused of killing and dismembering another man has started. Some of the details are graphic. Nick Paparella reports.

Warning: Some of the details in this story are graphic.

The trial of an Orangeville man accused of killing and dismembering a man in a local hotel three years ago started Tuesday in a London courtroom.

James McCullough, 22, has pleaded not guilty to first degree murder and committing an indignity to a body.

The Crown alleges 20-year-old Alex Fraser had been stabbed 20 times and his arms and legs cut off. He was also decapitated.

The jury heard that McCullough, a former Fanshawe College student paid $320 for a cab ride from Orangeville to the Travelodge in September of 2013.

In her opening statement, Crown attorney Meredith Gardiner said Fraser was under the influence of alcohol and was confused as to why they were making the trip.

Hours later in Room 326 of the Travelodge, the man's dismembered body was found in two hockey bags.

Gardiner said even though the room looked neat, "There was blood in a number of areas in the hotel room, especially in the bathtub.”

McCullough was arrested shortly after the discovery by police.

Throughout the day McCullough - seated in the prisoner’s box wearing a white shirt - stared at the floor and from time to time shook his head.

The Crown attorney said when officers were going through McCullough's Orangeville home they found a written poem in a duffle bag.

"I'm not joking. I'll chop ‘em up. Mail the parts to you. I'm so f---kin sick."

Fraser’s mother Jackie was the first to testify. She said Alex was an only child who lived in their basement and worked at an area diner.

She said even when he stayed out all night he would text her, but on September 7, 2013, there was no reply.

The trial is expected to last four weeks.