Police in Oregon have charged a man in the murder of an aspiring model whose body was found dismembered and stuffed into suitcases in the trunk of a BMW.
According to PEOPLE, 35-year-old Jeremiah Johnston has been arrested and booked into the Washington County Jail on charges of murder and abuse of a corpse in relation to the murder of 28-year-old Sara Zghoul.
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According to investigators, who had acted on a tip from an unnamed source, officers discovered a hysterical Johnston in the woods just hours after they had found the mutilated body of Zghoul. Johnston had reportedly attempted to cut his own throat and wrists before being found and detained by police.
On Thursday, Jan. 25, Zghoul’s body was discovered stuffed into two separate suitcases in the trunk of a parked BMW. The 28-year-old mother, who was an aspiring model, had been decapitated and her body had been dismembered.
Family and friends of the 28-year-old remembered her this past week, stating that she was a “beautiful soul.”
“On behalf of the entire Zghoul family, we would like to first and foremost extend our deepest gratitude for the overwhelming show of compassion during this difficult time,” Zghoul’s family said in a statement, according to PEOPLE. “We would like to thank our family, friends, neighbors, and the entire community as a whole for the generous outpouring of love, support and prayers sent our way. We would also like to thank the detectives who are working diligently around the clock to bring us justice in this matter.”
Johnston’s arrest came after authorities allegedly established a link between him and the BMW that Zghoul’s remains were found. They have not yet revealed who owns the vehicle.
According to court records, Johnston has a record of previous convictions, including convictions for identity theft and both gun and drug possession.
In 2015, he was sentenced to 23 months in prison for delivery of cocaine, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. In August 2017, just three months after his release from prison, he was arrested for cocaine possession. He pleaded guilty to the charge in September and was placed on probation for 18 months.
Johnston has not yet entered a plea. Authorities have also not discussed a possible motive for the murder.
