A Dutch engineer accused of murdering Bristol woman Jo Yeates searched the internet for how long it would take a body to decompose, a court has heard.
The body of the 25-year-old landscape architect was discovered on a roadside verge near Bristol on Christmas Day.
Vincent Tabak, 33, admits manslaughter but denies Miss Yeates's murder.
Prosecutor Nigel Lickley QC told Bristol Crown Court that Tabak also texted his girlfriend after the killing, saying he was "bored".
Tabak also searched for information on the length of murder and manslaughter sentences and when police revealed a pizza and its box were missing from Miss Yeates's flat, he searched on the internet for the dates of refuse collections in the Clifton area, Mr Lickley said.
He also constantly searched the Avon and Somerset Police website for details of the case and used Google Maps to view the location Miss Yeates's body was found, he added.
Neighbours heard screams
Miss Yeates, from Ampfield, Hampshire, disappeared on 17 December last year after going for drinks with colleagues in Bristol.
Despite living next to him, Miss Yeates did not know Tabak.
On the night of her death, Miss Yeates had "settled down for the evening when she was interrupted by Vincent Tabak", Mr Lickley said.
"There is no doubt, and neither is it in dispute, as to how that young woman died," he said.
"Vincent Tabak strangled her with his hand or hands. He held her throat hard enough and for long enough to kill her.
"There were screams heard by neighbours at a nearby party.
"Those screams were Vincent Tabak attacking her."
He added that the first scream was followed by a second "lower, muffled sound" and then a thud.
"Injuries sustained by Joanna Yeates are consistent with her struggle and the violence to her," Mr Lickley added.
'Buried in snow'
He told the court: "Having killed her, he drove her body in the boot of a Renault Megane and deposited her body where it was found."
Mr Lickley said leaves had been placed deliberately over Miss Yeates's body and snow had then fallen on her.
The jury was told how Miss Yeates's body was found by a couple on Christmas morning during a walk with their dog in Failand, on the outskirts of the city.
"They walked past a mound of snow," Mr Lickley said. "Something triggered in the mind of the man.
"From a distance he saw features that indicated that a human body was buried in the snow... a patch of skin and some denim."
The prosecutor said that during the following weeks Tabak was "in complete control" and "knew what he was doing".
"He was able to mislead and manipulate others and to hide his inner feelings," he said.
The trial is expected to last four weeks.
The body of the 25-year-old landscape architect was discovered on a roadside verge near Bristol on Christmas Day.
Vincent Tabak, 33, admits manslaughter but denies Miss Yeates's murder.
Prosecutor Nigel Lickley QC told Bristol Crown Court that Tabak also texted his girlfriend after the killing, saying he was "bored".
Tabak also searched for information on the length of murder and manslaughter sentences and when police revealed a pizza and its box were missing from Miss Yeates's flat, he searched on the internet for the dates of refuse collections in the Clifton area, Mr Lickley said.
He also constantly searched the Avon and Somerset Police website for details of the case and used Google Maps to view the location Miss Yeates's body was found, he added.
Neighbours heard screams
Miss Yeates, from Ampfield, Hampshire, disappeared on 17 December last year after going for drinks with colleagues in Bristol.
Despite living next to him, Miss Yeates did not know Tabak.
On the night of her death, Miss Yeates had "settled down for the evening when she was interrupted by Vincent Tabak", Mr Lickley said.
"There is no doubt, and neither is it in dispute, as to how that young woman died," he said.
"Vincent Tabak strangled her with his hand or hands. He held her throat hard enough and for long enough to kill her.
"There were screams heard by neighbours at a nearby party.
"Those screams were Vincent Tabak attacking her."
He added that the first scream was followed by a second "lower, muffled sound" and then a thud.
"Injuries sustained by Joanna Yeates are consistent with her struggle and the violence to her," Mr Lickley added.
'Buried in snow'
He told the court: "Having killed her, he drove her body in the boot of a Renault Megane and deposited her body where it was found."
Mr Lickley said leaves had been placed deliberately over Miss Yeates's body and snow had then fallen on her.
The jury was told how Miss Yeates's body was found by a couple on Christmas morning during a walk with their dog in Failand, on the outskirts of the city.
"They walked past a mound of snow," Mr Lickley said. "Something triggered in the mind of the man.
"From a distance he saw features that indicated that a human body was buried in the snow... a patch of skin and some denim."
The prosecutor said that during the following weeks Tabak was "in complete control" and "knew what he was doing".
"He was able to mislead and manipulate others and to hide his inner feelings," he said.
The trial is expected to last four weeks.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/uk-england-bristol-15240284
