A 28-year-old man was formally charged Tuesday in connection with the slaying and dismembering of a man who was found in two suitcases in southwest Denver last month.

Benjamin D. Satterthwaite, 28, was charged with first-degree murder and one count of tampering with a deceased human body Tuesday morning in Denver District Court.

Police say Satterthwaite killed 33-year-old Joshua Lockard and then placed the victim’s body in a a pair of black and purple suitcases on a sidewalk near Sanderson Gulch in the 1700 block of South Java Way.

City workers from Denver Parks and Recreation Department found the suitcases shortly after 7 a.m. on Dec. 29, and after finding a foot in one of the suitcases, contacted authorities from the Denver Police Department (DPD), according to a criminal affidavit.

During an initial investigation, officials located a name underneath a barcode on the suitcase that read “Satterthwaite” and “Dean,” according to the affidavit.

DPD officials opened the purple suitcase and found a human foot and leg inside, and a human torso was found inside the other suitcase.

Several days later, authorities responded to a medical call in the 2800 block of South Federal Boulevard and found “evidence and a crime scene consistent with (the) homicide case,” The Denver Gazette previously reported.

Satterthwaite was found at the scene and was suffering from a possible overdose, and therefore was transported to Swedish Medical Center, according to the affidavit.

An ensuing investigation at the apartment led authorities to discover a bloody saw blade and the bank card for Lockard, according to the affidavit.

Authorities say Lockard and Satterthwaite knew each other and were residing in the same apartment.

Satterthwaite is being held in the Denver County Jail without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 17, according to online court records.