Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Police Say Death Result of Domestic Violence


(ABC 6 NEWS) -- An Albert Lea woman is dead after what police say was an act of domestic violence.

Police and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are now investigating this case.

"I'm torn apart I lost my best friend in the world who was like a sister to me," says Heather Bigelow.

Heather Bigelow came to the freeborn county courthouse Monday to get some answers.

"It still remains up to the coroner to come back with the cause of death, but at this point by all appearance it does appear to be a homicide," say police.

Police were alerted that something was wrong in the Rainbow Terrace trailer park Sunday.

"Sunday morning at about 11:30 a male subject came into LEC with a family member and between the two of them they want to report that the party thinks he might have killed his girlfriend,” police say.

38-year-old Jody Morrow was found dead shortly after.

"She was confined to a wheelchair which makes an added tragedy to it," say police.

Police say they believe it was an act of domestic violence.

"We can tell you the victim appeared to be bludgeoned to death," police say.

Police have arrested Morrow's estranged boyfriend, but no one has been charged.

According to court documents, the suspect lived with Morrow for three and a half years.

During that time morrow petitioned for several restraining orders against the suspect.

Court documents show she reported abuse including smacking, stomping, beating, and being threatened for her life.

"Had been removed from the residence a month ago, there was an active restraining order out against him," police say.

We also checked into the suspect's past.

We found 19 criminal complaints against him, including burglary and disorderly conduct dating back to 1998.

The charges in this apparent homicide are still unclear until the coroner releases the autopsy results.

The suspect is being held in freeborn county jail.

Exactly how Morrow died is still under investigation.

Police say they do not believe a gun was used, but wouldn't give any details on a weapon.

They're now waiting for autopsy results.

Authorities tell us, there's an average of one homicide every seven years in Albert Lea.

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