New details were revealed in court documents in the murder case of a woman found dead in a recycling bin.
Prosecutors in the United States upgraded the charge against Alex Akpan, 24, to murder of his fellow Nigerian 23-year-old Irene Yemitan.
He was charged after a woman’s body was found in a recycling bin in his bedroom by his mum Esua Akpan.
Akpan had only known Yemitan for a few days.
According to court documents, on Sept. 5, 2018, Akpan’s mother went inside his room at their home in the 9600 block of Wellsworth Drive to see if he was there.
She stated that it wasn’t normal to have the recycling container there since it’s usually in the back yard. When she looked inside, she saw a foot.
She tipped the bin over and saw the body of a woman, who was later identified as Yemitan.
That’s when she called her ex-husband over to the house. When he arrived, they pulled Yemitan’s body out of the bin and attempted to do CPR. They called 911, but Yemitan was already dead.
Investigators noted the victim had no apparent signs of injury. Court records say she was strangled.
The prosecutor said that when Akpan got home, officers questioned him. He refused to answer them and asked for an attorney.
Prosecutors asked for a $500,000 bond, claiming Akpan was a flight risk. They also say Akpan’s family was planning to send him to Nigeria to escape his day in court.
Alex Akpan remains in custody without bond.
One witness, Lydia Davies-Balogun, says she was with Yemitan when they met Akpan at a shopping mall.
Davis-Balogun said Akpan was the last person Yemitan said she was with the day of the murder. She added that the victim was said to be at his house the day of the murder.
Investigators said Davis Balogun also told them that the day before Yemitan’s body was discovered, they had gone Akpan’s house. She said that when she and Yemitan parked their car in the street Akpan became extremely upset and starting yelling, screaming and threw a chair.
Family of the woman killed Yemitan said she knew Akpan for less than a month and wants the public to know she was loved.
He has also been charged with tampering with a corpse.
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