A Texas man, 52-year-old William, was arrested last week and charged with murder and tampering with evidence following the death of his girlfriend, 39-year-old L. Wardell. The victims’ bodies were discovered last month in their shared apartment in Texas when a neighbor noticed a strong, foul odor coming from the room.
When Texas authorities arrived, they found William dead from a handgun wound to the head and retrieved the murder weapon from the scene.
During the inquiry, Texas officials discovered that the defendant bought cleaning products on May 13, six days after the shooting, and used them to clean up the murder scene. He apparently acknowledged staying with the victim’s body for around three days after her death, explaining that he wanted to be with her.
The defendant only left the residence when the stress of the deposition got too much.
The defendant was captured at a motel and booked into the county jail. His bond amount was set at $160,000. The Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to declare the official cause and manner of death, since a full toxicology analysis is pending.
The case has received a lot of attention because of the unpleasant nature of the crime and the defendant’s behavior after the fact. Law enforcement personnel are still investigating Wardell’s death.