Two men drug and strangle teen girl to death, drive around with her corpse for hours: Prosecutor

Two British men are accused of drugging and strangling a teen girl, then driving around for hours with her deceased body inside the car.

The Guardian reports that authorities found Megan Bannister, a 16-year-old honors student, in the backseat of a Vauxhall Astra vehicle on May 14, after the car crashed near Enderby, Leicestershire. On Wednesday, prosecutors at a Birmingham, England, court said that Bannister didn’t have any fatal injuries caused by the wreck, but instead was already dead hours before the crash.

According to court documents, Jason Burder and Adam King, both 28, reportedly supplied the teen with MDMA, a drug also known as ecstasy or Molly, marked by heightened feelings of euphoria and empathy. The suspects are also accused of supplying the victim with alcohol, a combination that may have killed Bannister.

A medical examiner said that Bannister either died from a drug overdose or strangulation, but the autopsy report was inconclusive of her exact cause of death. A toxicology report showed that the teen had “10 times the amount of MDMA” as each of the suspects.

“Megan Bannister was provided with alcohol and drugs by these two,” prosecutor Miranda Moore said on Wendesday. “She was also strangled at some point whilst in their company. The pathologist will say that it is unclear which mechanism — drugs or strangulation or a combination of both — that led to the death. It’s unclear because these two lied about it.”

After her death, the suspects allegedly drove around for hours, looking for more alcohol and talking to prostitutes, according to the New York Post. Prior to her death, the pair reportedly took a Snapchat video of Bannister, possibly in Burder’s bedroom, after the teen passed out.

“These two men, having left Megan Bannister in a perilous state by drug supply and then strangulation, left her with no care,” Moore continued. “You will see how close to his house was the [emergency room]. You will hear that there was no 999 call, and no call for assistance.”

The pair met Bannister after Burder pretended to be 21 on Snapchat and convinced her to meet in person. They first met up on May 12, then met up again on May 14, when the suspects allegedly supplied her with MDMA they purchased. After the teen passed out, they stuffed her inside their car and drove around.

“When she was in this state, they took her off in the car, driving around from 8 a.m. until the crash at about 11:45 a.m., not seeking any assistance for her at all,” Moore said. Megan Bannister’s phone was left behind at [her house]. She did not get into that car willingly….“Her bra was also left behind in Mr. Burder’s bedroom. At some stage, she was undressed.

After their arrest, both suspects claimed they couldn’t remember anything. An autopsy report concluded that Burder had sex with Bannister. His semen was found inside her and on her chest.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty. The trial is scheduled to wrap up within a few weeks. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional information becomes available.

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