Brianna Armstrong Was Brutally Murdered And Dismembered

An arrest has been made in the slaying of Brianna Armstrong, and the suspect’s identity comes as a shock to those who had publicly suspected the once-missing woman’s husband. A coworker of the woman has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. WTKR reports that Justin Keith Cornell was arrested outside of his apartment, which is where authorities had been focused in the search for evidence.

The Daily Reporter shares that Brianna had not been dead for more than three or four days when her remains were found in the Dismal Swamp area last month. Reports reveal that the missing woman had been dismembered, and her parts stored in garbage bags. However, she had been missing for far more than just three or four days. In other words, authorities believe that the woman was alive and being held somewhere while the community searched frantically for weeks.

Authorities evidently suspected Brianna Armstrong’s husband because they searched his home for any evidence that could tie him to the murder and dismemberment of his once-missing wife. They reportedly searched for any power tools or other items that could have been used to cut up her body, but nothing was found. Social media speculation had been focused on Corey Creek over the course of his wife’s disappearance, but this was mostly due to his placement on the sex offender registry. This detail evidently turned out unrelated to Brianna’s disappearance. Reports aren’t clarifying how authorities were led to the apartment of Justin Keith Cornell. However, at least one source has called the man Brianna’s “boyfriend.”

Cornell and Armstrong were coworkers, but their boss had recently fired the man accused of killing the missing woman. It is not known at this time if the firing had anything at all to do with the murder. What also isn’t known at this time is the nature of the relationship between the victim and her former coworker. The employer at Knuckles and Knots indicated that Armstrong would sometimes ask Cornell for massages, however.

There are still a lot of questions that need answers in this case, but hopefully with the arrest of Justin Keith Cornell, those answers will come soon. It’s been made more than clear that Brianna Armstrong was alive for much of the course of her disappearance, but whether or not she was held against her will is not entirely known — though speculation surrounding the unknown details is rampant on social media. Curious still is the fact that Cornell has only been charged with second-degree murder in the slaying, dismemberment, and disposal of Brianna and her remains.

[Photo: Chesapeake Police mugshot/Justin Keith Cornell]