Boyfriend of Ohio woman found dead under pile of clothes charged with murder

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The boyfriend of Audreona Barnes, who was found dead beneath a pile of clothes on an apartment balcony, has been charged with aggravated murder and gross abuse of a corpse.

Bennie Washington, 39, is alleged to have shot his 18-year-old girlfriend and left her body on the balcony of his apartment for months, according to police and court documents.

A housecleaner found Ms Barnes, who was reported missing in July, at the Cleveland apartment after Mr Washington was evicted from the property on 11 March, Cleveland.com reported. Investigators allege she was left on the balcony in an attempt to speed up the decomposition of her body.

Police found bullet casings near her body, as well as a bullet hole in a wall of the apartment, the court records show.

Ms Barnes was last seen on 30 July, the same day she was reported missing, after visiting a US Army recruiting office.

Warrensville Heights detective Gregory Curry said Army recruiters had picked up Ms Barnes at her boyfriend’s home and had later dropped her off at the same place, WOIO reported.

Ms Barnes’ mother, Akua Avegnon, said her daughter’s boyfriend received a text from her daughter, but that the message “didn’t seem like it came from her”.

Mr Washington was reported to be “erratic” in the weeks leading up to his arrest. A week after Ms Barnes’ body was discovered, police allegedly spotted and chased Mr Washington before he eluded arrest by jumping out a window.

He was arrested the next day and charged on 21 March. Mr Washington was previously sentenced to seven years in prison for shooting a woman in the back over a $40 cocaine debt, according, Cleveland.com