A 25-year-old college student was beaten to death and a white grocery bag shoved over her face in a horror attack inside her Alabama apartment, according to authorities.
Madison Shea Pilkington was found dead under a pile of blankets in her home in Hoover on Saturday after family members grew concerned for her safety when they didn’t hear from her for several days and she failed to show up for work.
Her boyfriend Cortez Lenard Warren, 32, was arrested hours later following a police chase and charged with her murder.
Court documents, released on Wednesday and obtained by AL.com, revealed new details of the alleged attack, accusing Mr Warren of kicking and punching his girlfriend to death with his hands and feet.
He then allegedly attempted to clear up the bloodbath in the apartment, confessing to investigators that he tried to clean the scene.
Ms Pilkington’s family members said they are “devastated” over her brutal murder.
“We’re devastated and we want people to keep us in their prayers,” her aunt Dana Armstrong told AL.com.
“She was loved by everyone who knew her. It’s been such a shock.”
Ms Pilkington, a student at Hoover College, and Mr Warren, who has a history of domestic violence arrests, had been dating for around a year.
They both worked at the nearby sports bar Baumhowers Victory Grille but the 25-year-old failed to show up for her shifts last Thursday and Friday.
According to the court documents, Ms Pilkington’s family said they last heard from her on Wednesday 26 January when she texted her mother.
When she missed her shifts at work, her mother and stepfather grew concerned and went to her apartment early on Saturday morning.
Her stepfather entered the apartment using a key and noticed a pile of blankets on the couch, the court documents state.
Beneath them, he discovered the body of Ms Pilkington lying bruised and unresponsive with a white grocery bag over her head, the documents state.
He left the apartment and called 911.
Police arrived on the scene and the 25-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
The court documents detailed signs of a struggle inside the apartment and that there was blood smeared along the hall floor, with evidence that someone had attempted to clean it up.
A bedroom door was kicked in, a table was broken and there was an unloaded gun on a table next to the bed, the documents state.
As well as the blood clean-up, the suspect had also removed the bedding and dumped it in trash bags.
A manhunt was launched for Mr Warren after Ms Pilkington’s mother told investigators he had been living with her daughter.
On Saturday afternoon, the 32-year-old was spotted driving his white Nissan Altima along the I-65 in Irondale and Birmingham.
He was arrested following a chase involving officers from at least three different departments and a pound of marijuana was found inside his vehicle.
The pursuit led to a minor collision between a police cruiser and a passing motorist and both both were taken to hospital for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
Following his arrest, Mr Warren admitted to having “attempted to clean up the crime scene”, investigators said.
According to court records, Mr Warren was arrested back in 2016 on charges of domestic violence against another woman. Documents said that he had an extended history of domestic violence with that woman and was accused of choking her.
Mr Warren is now charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence and marijuana possession.
He is being held at the Jefferson County Jail on a $262,000 bond.
