Police have charged 32-year-old Vincent Tabak with the murder of landscape architect Joanna Yeates, just over a month after her disappearance.
Tabak will face Bristol Magistrates Court on Monday accused of killing the 25-year-old.
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Jones, who led the inquiry, said last night: “This evening we have charged Vincent Tabak with the murder of Joanna Yeates.
“I would like to pay tribute to Jo’s family and Greg for their assistance and dignity in the most difficult of circumstances.
“Their support to us has been invaluable.
“I would also like to thank the general public for their help and the information they continue to provide to the investigation, and the residents of Canynge Road for their co-operation and patience.”
Dutch engineer Tabak, who lived next door to Miss Yeates at 44 Canynge Road, Clifton, Bristol, was arrested on Thursday.
Specialist search teams have been examining Tabak’s flat, which he shares with his girlfriend, Tanja Morson, an analyst for Dyson, in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.
Miss Yeates shared her rented home with her boyfriend, Greg Reardon, 27.
Tabak, a trilingual engineer, is an expert in the flow of people through buildings, including sports venues.
Tabak’s arrest was the second to be made by detectives since Miss Yeates’s frozen body was found dumped in a lane on the outskirts of Bristol on Christmas Day.
The university graduate disappeared on Friday December 17 after going for Christmas drinks with colleagues at her architectural firm.
Mr Reardon reported Miss Yeates as missing after he returned to Bristol on December 19 following a weekend away visiting family in Sheffield.
A huge police operation swung into action after her body was found on the verge in Longwood Lane, Failand, North Somerset.
Her landlord, Chris Jefferies, 66, was arrested on December 30 and questioned for three days on suspicion of murder before being released on bail.