A gruesome discovery happened at an Arcadia home when officers discovered a woman dead inside.
Police found a mother beaten and in a pool of blood when they broke down her locked bedroom door. The victim feared for her life, wanting her ex-boyfriend to move out the day before.
"It was a very gruesome scene. In my 20-year career being here, it's probably the worst I've ever seen," said Lt. Troy Carrillo with the Arcadia Police Department.
Arcadia police came to North Arcadia Avenue Saturday to check on Emla Hendricks.
They found the victim’s daughter and a man sitting on the couch. In a locked bedroom, officers found Hendrick's body lying in a pool of blood with a cloth over her face and a piece of dented pipe metal next to her.
Police think her ex-boyfriend Hugh Powell beat her in the head with that pipe and might have slashed her throat. They found an open box cutter knife with blood on the blade, a broken knife handle and a screwdriver.
"You can tell there was a lot of rage just based off the scene," said Carrillo.
"It sounds pretty scary because knowing that there's, like, someone out there that can commit, like, these crimes, especially in a town like Arcadia where nothing really happens," said neighbor Daniela Arellano.
Police say Powell had blood on his shoe along with blood stains leading to his room.
"The officers on scene, they described him as being very calm. Once I got there, his demeanor had not changed," said Carrillo.
Powell is charged with premeditated murder. Police interviewed Hendrick's daughter, and she told them she didn't know her mom was dead inside.
"It's also very, like, assuring to know that the police are doing their job and doing, you know, everything they can to, you know, get this person off the streets and just keeping the town very like safe," said Arellano.
The day before the murder, Emla went to the Desoto County Sheriff’s Office to turn in paperwork for Hugh’s eviction. She previously filed papers in March to kick him out. She told them she feared being around him and was going to get a motel room.
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