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Two weeks after a decorated Navy member told police that her fiancé had attacked her and threatened her with a gun, he allegedly returned to her Florida home and murdered her, multiple news outlets report.
On Sept. 2, Washington filed a police report alleging Beard battered and threatened her with a firearm the night before, the warrant states. She and Beard had “had a history of documented violence,” according to his warrant.
“Washington reported that during the [Sept. 1] assault, Beard also kicked in her bedroom and closet door where he pointed a gun at her and stated he was going to kill her,” the warrant states.
Beard moved out after the incident. When Washington failed to appear in court on Sept. 17 — because she was already dead — her injunction was dropped,First Coast News reports. Beard attended the hearing.
“It was bold of him to show up for court knowing what had happened,” Washington’s cousin Gaylon Anderson told First Coast News.
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The warrant describes how, shortly before 9 p.m. on Sept. 16, Beard allegedly returned to the Jacksonville home he had shared with Washington and became embroiled in an “altercation” with her that ended in her shooting death.
Less than two hours later, he left the scene, later going to a friend’s house where he claimed he was worried about Washington because she had purportedly texted him that she was being followed, the warrant states.
Danny Ray Beard.Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
When Beard and his friend arrived at her home, Beard said he found her body, according to the warrant.
Beard is charged with one count of murder and held without bond, a spokesperson for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirms to PEOPLE.
He has not entered a plea and it’s unclear whether he obtained an attorney. He is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 31.
Washington enlisted in the Navy in 2001, according to theTimes. Among her commendations were three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.
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Sailors who served under Washington said she was a loving mother of three sons and known for looking out for her junior shipmates, according to theTimes.
Turbine Systems Technician (Electrical) 2nd Class Tara Parramore told theTimesthat Washington had a “flawless” career and “was never afraid to get her hands dirty and went tip for tap with the male engineers.”
Parramore said, “Please don’t let her death and the manner in which she was murdered overshadow who she was.”
source: people.com
