Trigger warning: This story contains disturbing and graphic details provided by court officials. Please read at your discretion.
A court in Charlotte, North Carolina, revealed the gruesome details of the murder of a local woman committed by 36-year-old Miguel Gonzales-Rasalas on Sunday.
Gonzales-Rasalas was arrested and charged with murder, desecrating a body, and auto theft after the victim, 35-year-old Laura Miller, was found inside an apartment complex along Southwood Oaks Lane on Sunday morning by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. Her dismembered body made her unrecognizable, according to reports.
According to police, Miller and Gonzales-Rasalas knew each other and that the murder wasn't a random incident.
Neighbors living in the apartment complex where Miller was found told local news station WSOC-TV that the two lived in the same building, but had different apartments, and were often heard arguing. They also said that they heard screaming coming from Gonzales-Rasalas' apartment where Miller's body was found the night she was killed. On Sunday morning, neighbors saw blood dripping outside of the man's apartment's door.
According to local news station WECT News, Gonzales-Rasalas' brother, Jose Gonzales, called 911 reporting a dead woman inside an apartment. Police later identified Gonzales-Rasalas as the suspect and arrested him as he was driving Miller's vehicle.
Police said that Miller died at the scene, but did not initially say how she was killed. They also said that Miller had not been murdered with a gun, but refused to say what weapon Gonzales-Rasalas used. However, new information provided by court officials this week revealed the horrifying details of the woman's murder.
According to the prosecutor, as reported by local news station WBTV, Miller's ankles were found bound by a cable, with multiple wires wrapped around her neck. Her body also presented a laceration starting from her neck to her belly button.
Miller was unrecognizable due to the extensive damage to her face and head, the prosecutor told the judge. She had burns on both her inner thighs, and salt was poured around her body and the room. She was surrounded by three crosses made from a broken table in the apartment.
According to the prosecutor, investigators found human tissue "scattered" throughout the apartment and Miller's tongue was found in the dining room.
Gonzales-Rasalas said he would like to represent himself in the upcoming court dates, which are on April 19 and May 1. No bond was set for him.
According to WBTV, this is the 27th murder in Charlotte since the beginning of the year.
Newsweek contacted the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department via email for comment.
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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
