A North Carolina man has been arrested after he allegedly tortured his girlfriend for months before he stabbed her to death.
Thomaz Hamilton is accused of first-degree murder and first-degree forcible rape in connection to the death of Isabella Mary Alexandria Stroupe, according to an arrest report viewed by Us Weekly.
The investigation began around 3:30 a.m. on Friday, May 1, when officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reported to a QuikTrip gas station in Charlotte, according to an arrest affidavit viewed by Law & Crime.
Hamilton, 24, told officers that his girlfriend was at his nearby apartment and that she stopped breathing.
The officers then went to the apartment, where they found Stroupe, 19, unconscious on a bed. The affidavit stated that she was wearing minimal clothing and was tied to the bed with tow straps. Stroupe, who was suffering from multiple injuries, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities searched the apartment and found a bloodied knife wrapped in cellophane, a baseball bat and a sword, per the affidavit. Blood was also found on a mattress and several clothing items in the home.
While speaking to detectives, Hamilton claimed Stroupe suffered a heart attack when they were having sex.
However, an autopsy revealed that Stroupe died after she suffered multiple fractured bones and stab wounds. In light of the findings, Stroupe’s death was deemed a homicide.
Amid the investigation, officials determined that Stroupe was being “tortured over a period of several months” and was “physically unable” to consent to sex before she died.
Hamilton was arrested on May 1 and was taken to the Mecklenburg County Jail. He is currently being held without bond, and is next scheduled to appear in court on May 27.
It is not currently clear if Hamilton has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department had no additional information to share about the case when contacted by Us.
Following Stroupe’s death, her sister, Marleigh Bailey, started a GoFundMe to help their family pay for funeral expenses. She also shared a sweet tribute to Stroupe, revealing some of her most cherished qualities.
“She was a total bookworm, always reading and sharing her favorite stories with me. She loved fan fiction and My Little Pony, and her creativity brought so much joy to our family,” Bailey wrote. “Remembering her passion for books and the happiness she brought to those around her makes this loss even harder.”
Bailey added that Stroupe’s death “left a huge hole” in their family’s lives.
