The boyfriend of a teenage girl was arrested on murder and rape charges after she was found dead inside a North Carolina home, authorities have said. On May 1, officers were called to a residence in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they found 19-year-old Isabella Alexandria Stroupe unresponsive, according to a press release shared by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Stroupe was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thomaz Kenon Hamilton, 24, who identified himself as Stroupe’s boyfriend, called 911 early that morning and reported that the teenager was not breathing, an affidavit cited by WBTV, WCNC and The Charlotte Observer revealed.
Who was Isabella Stroupe?
A GoFundMe launched for Stroupe describes her as a “total bookworm” who loved “fan fiction and My Little Pony”.
According to the affidavit, Stroupe was found dead on a bed, where she had allegedly been restrained. Hamilton claimed that the two of them were having sex when he believed she suffered a heart attack.
“Days following the incident, the manner of death was ruled a homicide after consulting with the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s office,” the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s press release reads.
The Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office also found that Stroupe had been stabbed and had multiple broken bones, per the affidavit.
According to investigators, Stroupe had been tortured for months and could not provide consent for sex. The affidavit also said that authorities found several pieces of evidence from inside the home, including a bloodied knife, a baseball bat, a sword and more.
Hamilton was arrested on Tuesday, May 5 on charges of first-degree murder and rape in connection with the case. It remains unclear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney.
“Hamilton was transported to the Law Enforcement Center (LEC) to interview with homicide detectives. At the conclusion of this interview, Hamilton was transferred to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office,” the press release says.
