‘I should have left earlier’: Woman dismembers lover with chainsaw before loading body parts in car to flee country

A 26-year-old Alabama woman, Joselina Elizabeth Lopez, is accused of fatally shooting her lover, Benito Morales Guzman, and then using a chainsaw to dismember his body, disposing of the remains in 10 to 15 trash bags.

Authorities allege that Lopez loaded the bags, containing Guzman’s remains, into her Toyota Corolla along with electric chainsaws, cleaning supplies, a diaper bag and baby formula, some of which still had blood on them.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Lopez purchased the chainsaws from Lowe’s, and one still had human flesh on the blades.

Police believe Lopez intended to flee the country with her child, planning to head to Mexico or Guatemala, where she has family. She had her passport and her child’s birth certificate when she was caught.

The alleged plot unraveled when Guzman’s boss reported him missing to the Geneva County Sheriff’s Office on August 27.

Deputies who conducted a welfare check at Guzman’s home in the Fadette area found a “strong odor of decomposition” coming from Lopez’s parked car. Inside, they discovered the trash bags, along with a .22-caliber revolver with five fired cartridges.

An autopsy revealed Guzman had been shot twice.

Guzman was last seen on August 24, and police suspect Lopez’s child was present during the murder. Investigators also uncovered that Lopez had recently purchased four electric chainsaws, returning one to the store.

Lopez was arrested for murder and remains in the Geneva County Jail without bond. During a phone conversation from jail, she allegedly remarked, “I should have left earlier.”

In court, Lopez claimed she killed Guzman in self-defense and requested to be released on bond, but her request was denied.

Guzman’s ex-wife, Jennifer Wilkerson, who remained friends with him, expressed shock and disgust at the grisly crime, stating, “He didn’t deserve any of that.”

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Lopez is scheduled for a court hearing on September 11 and faces life in prison if convicted.