Police: Woman was badly beaten, strangled before reported fall and death
By KCCI Staff
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WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Newly released court documents show the evidence police used to arrest a West Des Moines man in the death of his girlfriend.
Nathen Cameron, 27, is charged with first-degree murder, willful injury causing serious injury, domestic assault with strangulation and other charges in the death of 23-year-old Trisha Kunze.
According to police, on the night of Feb. 12. West Des Moines police were called to 6377 Vista Drive, Apartment 7301, which is the Sun Prairie Apartment Complex, for a report of a woman who had fallen from the third-story apartment balcony.
When officers arrived, they began life-saving measures on Kunze. West Des Moines EMS transported Kunze to a local hospital, where she died.
Police said the two have been in a relationship for about four years and lived together at the apartment on Vista Drive for about a year.
Court documents show Kunze was seen entering the apartment at 10:40 p.m. on Feb. 12. Surveillance video also shows Cameron arriving in the parking lot to watch her enter the apartment two minutes earlier. Court documents show he is then seen entering the building two minutes later.
According to court records, Cameron called 911 at 11:01 p.m. to report that Kunze had jumped off the third-floor balcony.
“Some of the injuries suffered by Kunze are found to be inconsistent with a fall including a broken patella and extensive abrasions on Kunze’s arms, hands, legs and feet. Kunze is also found to have petechial hemorrhages present on her face and in her eyes. The presence of petechial hemorrhages indicates asphyxia caused by strangulation. The additional injuries and petechial hemorrhages are evidence of a violent domestic assault between Kunze and Cameron in which Kunze suffers multiple injuries prior to her death,” police noted in court documents.
Additionally, police said messages between Kunze and Cameron show he threatened to kill Kunze if she was not home before he got there.
Cameron was arrested on April 1 and remains in the Dallas County Jail.
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