Philly man, 49, is arrested over murder of his girlfriend after 16 years – Jade Babcock hid Brenda Jacobs’ body in a coal bin for 15 years before returning last year to chop her legs off to fit her remains in storage
Philly man arrested over murder of his girlfriend 16 years after her death after he attempted to relocate the body
Jade Babcock, 49, allegedly killed 37-year-old Brenda Jacobs in 2003 and hid the body only to come back 15 years later to dismember the body
The murder allegedly occurred after the pair argued at Babcock’s granny’s home in Montoursville, Philadelphia
Babcock is then said to have kept her body in a coal bin in a barn behind the house for the next 15 years before returning in 2018 to move it into storage
When the remains would not fit in a storage box he cut off her legs, police say
Then in April he is accused of removing the remains from the storage facility in Williamsport, throwing the legs into the Susquehanna River
He allegedly took the remains of her body to another unit in Philadelphia
A fisherman found the legs on May 11 and the body was found this month after his current girlfriend is said to tipped off police about the killing
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Jade Babcock, 49, [photo], is accused of killing his girlfriend Brenda Jacobs in 2003. He was arraigned on charges of homicide, abuse of corpse, tampering with evidence, and obstruction of justice after his current girlfriend is tipped off police about the killing
The former boyfriend of woman missing since 2003 has been charged over her murder after police say he hid her body in a coal bin for 15 years before returning last year to chop her legs off in order to fit her remains in storage.
Investigators say Jade Babcock, 49 killed Brenda Jacobs, 37, during a physical fight in December of 2003 at his grandmother’s home in Montoursville, Philadelphia where the couple primarily lived 16 years ago.
He is then said to have kept the mother-of-two’s body in a coal bin in a barn behind the house for the next 15 years before returning in 2018 to move it into storage.
When Jacobs’ remains would not fit in the box he planned to keep them in Babcock is then said to have cut off her legs.
Then in April he is accused of removing the remains from the storage facility in Williamsport, allegedly throwing the legs into the Susquehanna River.
Babcock then took the remains of her body to another unit in Philadelphia when he moved there, police say.
A fisherman found the legs on May 11.
The remains of her body were found in the storage facility earlier this month. The discovery was made at the Safeguard Self Storage facility in Northeast Philadelphia–almost 200 miles away from where the victim was last seen.
Prosecutors say he admitted to killing Brenda during an argument in December 2003. She was not reported missing by her family until 2013.
Neighbor Ken DiRocco told WNEP: ‘He had a drug problem. He had an alcohol problem. Every time he would use, he’d get crazy. He’d get violent. The cops were over there all the time.
He added: ‘How did we not notice it or smell it? All I can think is that the coal or the sulfur must have embalmed it somehow because no one really noticed anything, and I have a garden right out back next to that barn.’
Brenda’s friend Danielle Poust said: ‘It’s a big shock. We’ve talked about her over the years, wondering what happened to her, how she could just up and leave her kids and her family. We knew something happened because that’s just not Brenda.
‘I just couldn’t imagine her going missing because she just loved her children and always wanted to talk about them, and we did things together and I just couldn’t believe she went missing.
‘I’m glad that we know now, that everybody knows now. Her family can get that closure, but this still doesn’t make it any better. It doesn’t make it any easier.’
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said: ‘When there is no swift resolution to an investigation, perpetrators do begin to believe that they can get away with murder.
‘With the help of our State Police, that won’t be true for Jade Babcock. May those who have been missing and mourning Brenda Jacobs for years know some peace in the very near future.’
Babcock is being held without bail in the Lycoming County jail. He is scheduled to be back in court on October 18
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