Justin Cornell Wiki, Biography
In 2016, a Virginia Beach spa worker named Justin Cornell was convicted of killing and dismembering his ex-girlfriend and co-worker, Brianna Armstrong, and dumping her remains in the Great Dismal Swamp. The latter initially disappeared in May 2015. After this, her dismembered body parts were disposed of in garbage bags, which a cyclist found nearly a month later.
A jury found Cornell guilty based on evidence found at the scene where the body parts were found and at her home, which was reportedly more than enough to link him to the gruesome crime. He was found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Justin Cornell is reportedly currently serving his long sentence at the Lawrenceville Correctional Center in Brunswick County, Virginia.
The Body in the Swamp on ID will dig deeper into the Brianna Armstrong case this Thursday, January 12, 2023. The official synopsis reads:
“When a highly trusted employee of a day spa in Virginia Beach, Virginia, doesn’t show up for work, her coworkers fear the worst; several weeks later, a cyclist makes a horrific discovery that will forever change the lives of those who love her. love.”
Mounting evidence against Brianna Armstrong’s former co-worker, Justin Cornell, has led to an arrest for the disappearance and dismemberment murder.
According to CBS, in June 2015, authorities charged Justin Cornell, 38, with the death and dismemberment of Brianna Armstrong, 43, of Chesapeake, Virginia. Armstrong, like Cornell, was a masseuse whose mutilated remains were found in garbage bags near the Dismal Swamp channel several weeks after she was reported missing.
Armstrong’s husband, Corey Creek, reported her missing on May 9, about two days after he last saw her. The dismembered remains of her were reportedly discovered near the Dismal Swamp channel on May 31. An autopsy revealed that the victim was only killed three to four days before her remains were discovered, suggesting that she was kept alive while her disappearance was investigated.
Both Brianna Armstrong and her alleged killer Justin Cornell worked as masseurs at Knuckles N’ Knots. Mark Harris, the manager, told WTKR that:
“You think if maybe I had noticed something, we could have prevented the tragedy. I knew they were close. I knew they would work together and come to each other’s store and I know Brianna would occasionally see Justin for a massage.” .”
Harris also claimed that he fired Cornell from the job for unrelated reasons shortly after Armstrong was reported missing.
On May 31, 2015, as soon as Brianna Armstrong’s dismembered remains were discovered, investigators searched the entire Dismal Swamp Canal region for evidence. They discovered a receipt with Justin Cornell’s name on it, along with latex gloves and a pair of underwear.
Investigators then conducted a search of her home, where they found Armstrong’s blood on the carpet, identical garbage bags used to dispose of her body parts, and similar latex gloves, among other evidence. Furthermore, they figured out that Cornell resided near the mall where Brianna’s abandoned car was discovered. He was later arrested and charged with murder.
Where is Justin Cornell now?
In 2016, Justin Cornell’s case finally went to trial, where his defense team insisted on his innocence. They stressed that there was no direct physical evidence or eyewitness that could link him to the crime and that all the evidence against him was circumstantial.
The defense team even went so far as to accuse Brianna’s husband, Corey Creek, of being the killer, claiming that he had ulterior motives due to his infidelity. However, the jury returned a guilty verdict, convicting Cornell of second degree murder.
He was sentenced to 40 years in prison, the maximum sentence for the charge, and is reportedly still serving time at the Lawrenceville Correctional Center in Brunswick County, Virginia.