A man was arrested in Litchfield and charged with murder for allegedly beheading a pregnant woman who would have given birth to her first baby this July.
Deundrea Holloway was accused of beheading Liese Dodd, 22, also causing her unborn child to die. Her head was found inside a rubbish bin outside her apartment, according to court documents obtained by the St Louis Post-Dispatch. The two are said to have an on-and-off dating relationship, but it was unclear if Holloway is the father of Dodd's child.
Police officers investigating the case described the crime as beyond reprehensible.
Dodd's mother discovered the horrifying scene
Dodd's mother, Heidi Noel, discovered her daughter's decapitated body Thursday afternoon when she went to check in on her after not hearing from her. She visited Dodd's place at the 3400 block of Bolivar Street in Alton and was met with the horrifying scene.
Detectives immediately searched for the suspect in the Litchfield area. Ironically, Holloway was arrested later that day in Gillespie, about 45 minutes away from Alton, for stealing a bike.
"What was observed, what was learned, what was found, is absolutely terrible," said Police officer Marcos Pulido, who is in charge of the case. He added that "She was decapitated by a freaking savage monster." KMOX reported.
Court records showed that Holloway has no convictions for assaults or other crimes relating to violence, but he stole cash from a friend three years ago.
Prosecutors are using two counts of murder for one victim to allow the jury an option. It revolves around what the killer's true intent was. One count of murder charges alleges Holloway planned to kill her or was aware that his action would cause her death; the second count banks on the strong probability that it would kill her. The jury cannot pick both.
Victim's unborn child would have been her first child
Dodd was expecting the birth of her baby girl on July 27, according to her online baby registry. The victim's family was planning a baby shower at the end of this month.
Noel told KMOV, "We were just excited and gathering the items you need to have a baby. Her wish list includes a pink princess crib sheet. She hasn't given the name of her baby yet, she just calls it her little bean."
According to Fox 2 Now, the victim had dated the suspect on and off for about two years and had recently moved to the area.
Tom Haine, Madison County State's Attorney, has offered his sympathy to the family of Dodd for the profound loss they are suffering.
"We believe the evidence will show that the defendant's gruesome actions here killed both a young woman and the child she carried," said Haine, adding, "In the eyes of the law, both these killings are equal."
Holloway is held on a $2 million bail
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