A 65-year-old British man allegedly murdered his longtime friend after learning she planned to move overseas, then hid her dismembered remains in a freezer alongside her five dead guinea pigs while stealing thousands of dollars from her accounts, a court heard Wednesday.
George Gordon is accused of killing 62-year-old artist Delia McInerney in April 2023, just days before she was preparing to leave England for a new life in Portugal.
But according to prosecutors, the killing was only the beginning of an elaborate deception that continued for nearly three years.
During opening statements at Liverpool Crown Court on November 4, prosecutor Martin Reid told jurors that Gordon allegedly pretended McInerney was still alive, sending messages to concerned friends and relatives while secretly using her money and opening credit accounts in her name.
The disturbing truth finally emerged January 8, 2026, when police searched Gordon’s apartment in St Helens, northwest England, and discovered McInerney’s remains inside a large chest freezer.
Even more shocking, investigators found the bodies of her five beloved guinea pigs stored alongside her. Prosecutors allege Gordon deliberately drowned the animals because their continued presence without their owner might raise suspicions.
McInerney and Gordon had been close friends for years, with one relative describing their relationship as that of “soulmates.” Although she owned a home in Liverpool and another property in Portugal, she frequently stayed at Gordon’s apartment.
Their relationship allegedly took a deadly turn when McInerney announced plans to relocate permanently to Portugal, taking her pets with her.
Prosecutors believe Gordon was motivated partly by the prospect of losing his longtime companion and partly by financial gain.
In the weeks leading up to her death, he allegedly purchased a sledgehammer, a cordless saw and other items that investigators believe were connected to the killing and concealment of her remains. He also obtained prescription medications later detected in McInerney’s system.
On April 11, 2023, Gordon recorded a video of McInerney with her guinea pigs. Prosecutors believe it was the last footage showing her alive.
She was allegedly killed later that night or during the early hours of April 12.
Within hours, more than £2,000 had reportedly been transferred from McInerney’s bank accounts to Gordon.
Prosecutors said Gordon then visited a local pub, where he ordered breakfast and alcoholic drinks, before purchasing a chest freezer through Amazon.
The freezer would allegedly become the hiding place for McInerney’s remains for the next two years and nine months.
But Gordon did not simply conceal her death. Investigators say he also constructed an elaborate series of lies to convince people she was still alive.
Using McInerney’s identity, he allegedly sent emails and text messages to her friends, offering explanations for why she could not speak with them or meet in person.
Some were told she was ill. Others received stories suggesting she was traveling or attending high-profile events.
In one particularly bizarre claim, Gordon allegedly pretended McInerney had attended King Charles’ coronation in May 2023 and met celebrities Joanna Lumley and Stephen Fry at Westminster Abbey.
Prosecutors described those messages as part of an extraordinary attempt to keep her disappearance hidden.
Gordon also traveled to Portugal on April 24, 2023, visiting McInerney’s property and reportedly taking photographs of himself there.
Meanwhile, investigators allege he continued exploiting her finances, withdrawing money and obtaining loans and credit cards in her name.
The prosecution claims the fraudulent transactions eventually totaled tens of thousands of pounds, including approximately £22,000 in credit card debt, equivalent to nearly $30,000.
For more than two years, McInerney’s loved ones were allegedly misled about her whereabouts while her remains remained hidden inside Gordon’s apartment.
The deception began unraveling in December 2025 after someone identifying himself as Chris Cavendish-Gordon contacted Britain’s Department for Work and Pensions, claiming to be a social worker and requesting that McInerney’s disability benefits be transferred to another account.
The suspicious request prompted financial checks and inquiries that ultimately led police to Gordon’s residence.
When officers arrived January 8, prosecutors say Gordon made a chilling admission.
“She’s in the freezer,” he allegedly told investigators.
But although Gordon acknowledges causing McInerney’s death, he disputes the prosecution’s account of what happened.
According to the court, Gordon initially told police he discovered McInerney suffering from an apparent drug overdose and struck her with a hammer to end her suffering.
He later changed his explanation, claiming he acted in self-defense after she attacked him while he was attempting to call for an ambulance.
Prosecutors reject those explanations, arguing that the evidence points to a deliberate killing followed by extensive efforts to conceal the crime and profit from the victim’s finances.
Gordon has pleaded not guilty to murder and causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
He was not present in the courtroom when prosecutors outlined their case Wednesday.
The trial is continuing at Liverpool Crown Court, where jurors will hear evidence concerning McInerney’s death, the financial transactions made afterward and the circumstances surrounding the discovery of her remains.
For McInerney’s family and friends, the case has exposed an alleged betrayal by someone she trusted deeply, transforming what was supposed to be the beginning of a new chapter in Portugal into a tragedy that remained hidden for nearly three years.
No verdict has been reached, and the allegations against Gordon remain subject to the ongoing trial.
