Witnesses From Beyond the Grave Heard at Trial of 1974 Murder

John Apelgren, 80, denies murdering 22-year-old sex worker Eileen Cotter

An undated image of Eileen Cotter, 22, who was murdered in Islington, north London, on June 1, 1974. Metropolitan Police

LONDON—A jury has heard statements from two dead witnesses at the trial of an 80-year-old man accused of murdering a sex worker in north London in 1974.

John Apelgren was a 31-year-old bricklayer in May 1974 when he allegedly punched Eileen Cotter, 22, and then strangled her before throwing her body out of his Austin 1100 car.