NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans man accused of killing and dismembering a woman in his Lower 9th Ward home pleaded not guilty in court today.
According to court records, 34-year-old Benjamin Beale pleaded not guilty to the gruesome murder of Julia Dardar.
The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office said Dardar, 36, died from blunt force injuries to the head and neck as well as asphyxia due to manual strangulation.
Dardar was reported missing by her estranged husband on Dec. 23, 2021, after she moved in with Beale.
New Orleans Police officers investigating Dardar’s disappearance searched Beale’s home in January and found a series of extension cords leading to a freezer in a locked bus in the backyard. Inside, officers found Dardar's headless torso with a deep cut that appeared to be made after her death.
Beale pleaded not guilty to an eight-count indictment, including charges of second-degree murder, obstruction of justice and several drug charges relating to the meth lab he allegedly ran inside him home.
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