An Alabama woman was found dead inside her apartment and her boyfriend of less than a year has been charged with murder, authorities said.
Madison Shea Pilkington, 25, was discovered dead by a relative inside her Hoover apartment early Saturday after she didn’t show up to work at a sports bar the previous day, police told AL.com.
She died from blunt force trauma, authorities said.
Pilkington’s boyfriend, Cortez Lenarde Warren, 32, was arrested during a police pursuit later Saturday afternoon.
Cops had previously put out an alert identifying him as a suspect.
He’s facing charges of murder, tampering with physical evidence and unlawful possession of marijuana, the outlet reported Monday.
Warren allegedly tried to clean up the crime scene, but additional details were not immediately provided. He had been dating Pilkington for less than a year, AL.com reported.
“She was beautiful both inside and out,” said Pilkington’s aunt, Dana Armstrong. “She was loved by everyone who knew her … It’s been such a shock.”
Warren, whose Facebook profile identifies him as a manager at a Hooters restaurant and a Walmart, had a prior arrest for domestic abuse involving a different woman, AL.com reported.
“Love making money and having fun doing it!!” Warren’s profile reads. “Just basically like to go out and have fun on my free time.”
In 2016, a woman accused Warren of choking her, throwing her onto a bed and damaging her phone so she couldn’t call for help. One of the charges he faced was ultimately dismissed, while a grand jury declined to indict him on a strangulation or suffocation charge, according to the outlet.
Warren, of Birmingham, remains in custody Monday at the Jefferson County Jail on $262,000 bond, online records show. It’s unclear if he’s hired an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Pilkington, meanwhile, was attending college in Birmingham and aspired to work as a graphic designer.
“We’re devastated, and we want people to keep us in their prayers,” her grieving aunt told AL.com.
An online fundraiser set up by Armstrong had garnered more than $13,000 as of Monday.
“The family is needing help paying the funeral and final expenses, so I am asking anyone who feels the calling in their heart to please contribute,” the website reads. “Thank you all for your prayers.”
Pilkington was taking courses at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, according to her Facebook profile, where she identified herself as single.
Pilkington’s friends said they were shocked by her slaying.
“Honestly I’m at a loss for words,” Alyssa Fields Moore wrote on Facebook. “[Madison] and I shared so many memories growing up. She knew exactly how to light up a room and make you laugh so hard that your stomach hurt. My heart is so broken for her sweet family.”
Pilkington was an outgoing woman who had an infectious quality about her, a former classmate told WMBA.
“Super bubbly, awesome, awesome person to be around,” Tristan Van Bogart told the station. “If you were having a bad day, you went and saw Madison … She was always so joyful and for it to be ripped from the world, I think is more than just a tragedy.”