Man charged in Detroit mother's slaying
Mark HicksA Detroit man has been charged in connection with the death of the 20-year-old mother of his child, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office announced Wednesday.
Juma Reeves, 46, was arraigned in Detroit's 36th District Court on first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, investigators said in a statement.
He and the victim, Brandy Lashay Nelson of Detroit, had a child together, according to a release.
Nelson was last seen around 5 p.m. Feb. 16 after leaving her home on the city's east side, Detroit police reported.
A cousin told The Detroit News that Nelson, the mother of a 6-month-old girl, had been staying on Drexel Street with two other people but planned to leave.
Less than two weeks after filing a missing person report with police, relatives searching the area found her body March 2 in a garage on the 5540 block of Drexel, prosecutors said.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office determined her death was caused by multiple blunt-force trauma.
"It is alleged that the defendant killed Ms. Nelson with blunt force and tampered with evidence in the case," the Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.
Reeves was arrested Tuesday following an investigation.
He remained jailed Wednesday. A probable cause conference was scheduled for Aug. 31. A preliminary examination was expected Sept. 9, the Prosecutor's Office said.