Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Camden, NJ: Camden man charged in killing of girlfriend

A Camden man who had threatened to kill his longtime girlfriend if she left him has been charged with beating her to death in June, authorities said Tuesday.

William W. White, 59, had been in a relationship with Alma Brito-Reyes, 49, for 15 years, but family members told authorities she was in the process of ending it, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office and city police.

Officials said White, currently in custody in Florida, has admitted that he went to Brito-Reyes' home in the city's Fairview section on June 2 and assaulted her, striking her with a handgun.

On June 4, a family member found Brito-Reyes' body in her bedroom on the second floor of the house in the 3000 block of Hartford Road, authorities said. She had died from blunt trauma to the head and neck, officials said.

Citing family members, authorities said White, who was an early suspect in the killing, had threatened Brito-Reyes' life if she ended their relationship.

He fled the area immediately after the killing.

On June 14, he was charged with stealing Brito-Reyes' ATM card. He had used it to withdraw $500 at a Mount Ephraim Wawa on June 2, authorities said.

On Sunday, White was arrested at a homeless assistance center in Homestead, Fla., on the outstanding theft warrant.

He is expected to be brought to New Jersey soon for arraignment on the murder charge.

Brito-Reyes, a mother of three and grandmother of six, was known as "Mita," a family member said.

Family members declined additional comment.

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