The suspected killer of two men whose remains were found in suitcases left on the Clifton Suspension Bridge will face trial in April next year, the Old Bailey has heard.
Yostin Andres Mosquera, 34, is accused of murdering 62-year-old Albert Alfonso and 71-year-old Paul Longworth at their home in Scotts Road, in Shepherd’s Bush, west London.
Their remains were put into two suitcases and left on the famous bridge in Bristol shortly before midnight on July 10.
The Metropolitan Police said Mr Alfonso and Mr Longworth had previously been in a relationship, and continued to live together at the Scotts Road home.
Mosquera, a Colombian national, had been staying with the two men in the days before the alleged murders.
He appeared at the Old Bailey via a videolink from HMP Belmarsh for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
“Mr Mosquera faces two counts of murder”, said Teresa Hay, prosecuting.
“Shortly before midnight on Wednesday July 10, two suitcases were found on Clifton Suspension Bridge.
“They had been deposited there.
“When the suitcases were examined, they contained human remains.”
She said information in one of the suitcases led detectives to the home in west London, where “further human remains” were found.
Mosquera, who was arrested in the early hours of July 13 at Bristol Temple Meads station, was remanded in custody by Judge Mark Lucraft KC, the Recorder of London.
He is due to appear in court on October 2 for a plea hearing, and a trial date has been set for April 14 next year. The trial is expected to last up to three weeks.
Mosquera followed the court hearing throughout with the help of a Spanish interpreter, and spoke only to confirm his name and age.
The Met said on Monday that evidence in the investigation so far has not pointed to a homophobic motive for the killings, but it has been classified as a hate crime under national guidelines.
