Cortez Lenarde Warren Alabama man charged with murder of girlfriend, Madison Shea Pilkington found dead at her Hoover apartment.
An Alabama man has been charged with murder after the body of a woman he had been dating for less than a year was found at her apartment over the weekend according to reports.
Madison Shea Pilkington, 25, was discovered dead by a relative inside her Hoover apartment at ‘The Halston’ complex early Saturday after failing to turn 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, of Birmingham was arrested during a police pursuit later Saturday afternoon.
Cops had previously put out an alert identifying the man as a suspect.
‘She was beautiful both inside and out,’
He’s facing charges of murder, tampering with physical evidence and unlawful possession of marijuana, AL reports. Police said he had attempted to clean up the crime scene.
The girlfriend’s murder led to her family expressing heartbreak.
‘She was beautiful both inside and out,’ Pilkington’s aunt, Dana Armstrong told AL. ‘She was loved by everyone who knew her … It’s been such a shock.’
A former classmate remembered Pilkington as an outgoing woman who had an infectious quality about her.
‘Super bubbly, awesome, awesome person to be around,’ Tristan Van Bogart told WMBA. ‘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.’
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 Facebook profile reads. ‘Just basically like to go out and have fun on my free time.’
Previous arrest for domestic abuse of another girlfriend
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 AL.
Online records showed Warren in custody at the Jefferson County Jail pending $262,000 bond. 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.
An online fundraiser set up by Armstrong had garnered more than $14,000 as of Monday late afternoon.
‘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 fundraiser states. ‘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. It remained unclear what led to the woman’s slaying.
