RICHFIELD 鈥 The suspect in the homicide on the 3500 block of Pleasant Hill on Aug. 1 appeared in Washington County Circuit Court Friday afternoon, at which point Judge Sandra Giernoth set bond at $750,0000, according to the Washington County Sheriff鈥檚 Office.
According to a release, Judge Giernoth found that there was probable cause that the 41-year-old Village of Richfield man had committed 1st Degree Reckless Homicide against his 42-year-old girlfriend and gave the state seven days to file formal charges. Currently, the man remains in custody at the Washington County Jail. Because no formal charges have been filed, law enforcement is not releasing any suspect names at this time.
The investigation has revealed that the shooting occurred in a camper trailer where the couple had been staying during a domestic dispute in which the suspect became angry and pulled out a firearm. He fired the handgun once, striking the victim and fatally wounding her. The suspect then went into a residence on the property and spoke with family members before the Sheriff鈥檚 Office received an abandoned 911 call from the residence shortly after 4 a.m. Deputies responded tothe scene to investigate, discovered the deceased victim and took the suspect into custody.
"Cases like these are complex and take significant time and resources," said the sheriff鈥檚 office in the release. "We have an obligation to the victim's family and our community to conduct a meticulous investigation to determine what exactly occurred in that trailer so we can present an accurate and complete set of facts to the Washington County District Attorney鈥檚 Office for a charging decision."
The release also noted that the department has been working closely with the DA鈥檚 office and the Washington County Medical Examiner鈥檚 Office from the onset and are confident that homicide charges will be formally filed against the suspect at some point this week.
"On behalf of my entire office I extend our deepest condolences to the victim鈥檚 family and friends," said Washington County Sheriff Martin Schulteis in the release. "We want our entire community to know that we have dedicated a significant number of resources who are working tirelessly to ensure the victim has a voice and justice is served against this perpetrator."
