BY CHRISTINE BYERS • cbyers@post-dispatch.com > 314-863-2821 | Posted: Saturday, July 31, 2010
CLAYTON • James Harvey was charged Friday with second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, Sherry Bladdick.
Harvey, 37, of the 4200 block of Botanical Avenue, is in custody in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Harvey served time from 1995 through 2002 in an Illinois prison for criminal sexual assault and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, stemming from a case in Rock Island County. He was 21 years old at the time of the attack, and the victim was 37.
He was in and out of prison in Illinois from 2005 through 2007 for failure to register as a sex offender in Madison County.
Bladdick, 49, of south St. Louis County, was found dead Sunday in the yard of an upscale subdivision in Sunset Hills after a party.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said Friday that Harvey was seen leaving the party with Bladdick and returned moments later saying she was unresponsive. An ambulance was called to the scene in the 10500 block of Anton Place, where she was found on a front lawn.
The medical examiner, Dr. Mary Case, said an initial exam suggested her death might be related to drinking at a party.
A police source said Bladdick's estranged husband demanded an autopsy, which revealed that Bladdick's neck had been broken. McCulloch said Bladdick's body would have been autopsied regardless.
"There may not have been significant external injuries, and that resulted in the belief that there may not have been foul play involved," McCulloch said.
Case ruled the death a homicide.
Sunset Hills police called the Major Case Squad for assistance. The squad typically requires a department to call within four hours after a body is discovered.
"They notified us within four hours of it being ruled a homicide," explained Lt. Bill Baker, the squad commander. "Obviously, they needed help and they were looking for manpower."
About 24 hours after the murder, Harvey was arrested in Belleville and charged with public drunkeness and possession of marijuana. He had been in custody at the St. Clair County Jail.
A police source said Harvey confessed to the murder and made incriminating statements on a relative's cell phone.
Sherry Bladdick's roommate, Jeanne, warned her about Harvey, who, a few weeks ago, violently grabbed Bladdick's arm and shouted insults during a late-night quarrel.
Bladdick lived in an apartment complex in an unincorporated area of south St. Louis County near Webster Groves and worked at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
No comments:
Post a Comment