An Independence man is in custody after police said he killed his girlfriend and then lived in the apartment with her body for several days.
Tommy Joe Powell, 55, is accused of killing his girlfriend, Amberly Harris, according to the Kenton County Prosecutor’s Office.
Harris’ death comes just over a year after court records show Powell pleaded guilty to assaulting her in November 2021.
Police arrived at an apartment building on Beechgrove Drive to conduct a welfare check on Amberly Harris after her employer called to say she had not shown up to work in several days.
Harris, 32, was found in a bedroom at the residence and police said she likely died from a gunshot wound.
Powell was taken into custody at the residence on Thursday.
Powell is facing 20 to 50 years in prison after Independence Police Detective Adam Strine charged Powell with a single count of murder – domestic violence.
Powell admitted to killing her “several days” before the welfare check, according to the Kenton County Prosecutor’s Office.
He is currently under police supervision at an area hospital due to dehydration, but he will be transported to the Kenton County Detention Center when he is released.
Powell does have a history of domestic violence against Harris, according to court records.
He pleaded guilty to assault in the fourth degree in April of 2022 for a domestic violence incident that occurred in November of 2021, records show.
According to a complaint filed in Kenton County District Court, Amberly Davis came to the Independence Police Department on Nov. 20, 2021 to report that Powell, whom she described at the time as her live-in partner, attacked her after an argument at the Beechgrove Drive apartment.
As the case worked its way through the legal system, court records change to refer to the victim as Amberly Harris.
“Amberly was only wearing pajama shorts and a t-shirt,” the complaint said. “She was barefoot. She stated she was barefoot because of trying to leave the residence quickly because of the attack.”
The complaint notes that she had several injuries, including abrasions and bruises on her neck, face and chest. She complained of pain in her head, throat and chest, and the officer who took the complaint said she was coughing throughout the interview.
“Amberly stated she and Tommy got into an argument about Amberly being on social media,” the complaint reads. “This escalated to a physical altercation where Tommy struck Amberly in the face and choked her to the point of blacking out. She estimated this attack to have occurred for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Amberly stated she was able to fall and ‘scoot’ out of the residence to stop the attack.”
The complaint said that a man named David Flack was on the phone with her when the attack took place and that he heard thumping, yelling, coughing and a male subject say, “Die Bitch” on the other end of the phone.
On April 13, 2022, Powell pleaded guilty to fourth degree assault in exchange for a 12-month sentence. He was also ordered at the time to take anger management classes, receive a mental health evaluation, and not to have any contact with Amberly Harris.