Tuesday, June 29, 2010

St. Petersburg, FL: Fla. trial for Md. man in girlfriend's death

An Anne Arundel County man is on trial in the Tampa Bay area, charged with killing his girlfriend in 2007.

The murder trial for 26-year-old Matthew Dieterle began Monday in Pinellas County. Prosecutors say he beat, choked and stabbed 19-year-old Samantha MacQuilliam in August 2007 at a house they shared with two others.

MacQuilliam, also from Anne Arundel County, studied nursing at the University of Tampa. Authorities say Dieterle had followed her to Florida because he thought she was cheating on him.

Dieterle's attorney says authorities were rushing to judgment by blaming the boyfriend.

Authorities say MacQuilliam filed a domestic violence complaint against Dieterle about three months before her death. Investigators also reported finding Dieterle's bloody handprint at the scene.

-- St. Petersburg Times

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