VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Only on News 3, the man convicted of murdering a Chesapeake woman and scattering her body throughout the Great Dismal Swamp breaks his silence.
May 7 marks the two year anniversary of Brianna Armstrong’s disappearance and ultimate death. Justin Cornell was arrested, charged and convicted of her murder, but continues to maintain his innocence, despite facing a 40-year sentence.
“I didn’t kill her, I couldn’t do something like this,” said Cornell from inside a Virginia Beach jail cell. “Obviously someone wants to make it look like I did. Obviously someone has something against myself and against Brianna and I can only imagine that it has to do with the relationship that we had.”
Armstrong was missing for nearly a month before her body was found in garbage bags scattered throughout the Great Dismal Swamp. A clue was also found with her remains.
“At one point police showed me pictures of items that they had found at the swamp. Specifically my trash,” said Cornell. “I acknowledged it right off the bat. I said, hey, that looks like my stuff. Where was it? Why do you have it?”
Cornell says his trash and other evidence used to build the Commonwealth’s case can be explained.
Watch our special report Friday night during News 3 at 11.
