Man Accused of Murdering Ex-Fiancée Claims She Owed Him £100,000
James Cartwright has testified in court that his ex-fiancée, Samantha Mickleburgh, was indebted to him for approximately £100,000 at the time of her death.
Mickleburgh, a 54-year-old mother of two from Axminster, Devon, was discovered deceased at the Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, on the morning of April 14, 2024. The couple had stayed together in a twin room the night before, as Mickleburgh wanted to keep Cartwright company on his birthday.
Cartwright called emergency services around 8:30 AM on April 14, reporting that he had found Mickleburgh’s lifeless body beside him in bed.
During his testimony, Cartwright explained that Mickleburgh had purchased a property to renovate and had received the keys in early March 2023. He stated that they were quite close at that time and that he lent her £30,000 in April to assist with the renovations. However, he noted that the funds were quickly depleted.
By July, Mickleburgh secured a mortgage, and they began living together at the property. Cartwright claimed that by then, her debt to him had risen to between £40,000 and £50,000, which escalated to around £100,000 by the time of her death.
Cartwright recounted proposing to Mickleburgh on a beach in autumn 2023, to which she responded positively. He described their relationship as “amicable and loving” during their holiday together. However, upon returning, he discovered a sexually explicit message from her former partner on her phone, which left him feeling shocked and hurt.
The relationship began to deteriorate after this incident. In late October, he found more explicit messages between Mickleburgh and her ex-partner, which further damaged his trust in her. Despite this, they continued to live together until February 2024, maintaining a physical relationship during that time.
Cartwright mentioned that about two weeks before he moved out, he found additional messages from Mickleburgh’s ex. He decided not to confront her about it, hoping to catch her in a lie. When he asked her about her last contact with her ex, she claimed it had been in October.
On February 17, 2024, Mickleburgh confided in Cartwright about her struggles with various pressures in her life. He offered to move into a commercial space he had access to, and shortly after, he began using a dating app to seek companionship.
Cartwright described Mickleburgh as the “love of my life” in messages to another woman, indicating that he felt their relationship was nearing its end.
The 61-year-old, who currently has no fixed address, denies the charges of raping and murdering Mickleburgh between April 12 and April 14, 2024, as well as a count of controlling and coercive behavior from May 1, 2022, to April 14, 2024. The trial is ongoing.