Left: Jalil Bivens (Montgomery County Jail). Right: Ava Walters (GoFundMe).
A 21-year-old man allegedly strangled his girlfriend to death at a makeshift dorm room in Alabama after he followed her from Florida while she attended school.
Jalil Bivens is facing a murder charge in the death of 20-year-old Alabama State University sophomore Ava Walters, the Montgomery Police Department said in a press release.
Cops responded around 11 a.m. Sunday to a Hilton Garden Inn on the 1600 block of Interstate Park Drive. When they arrived, they found the 20-year-old Walters unresponsive. She was pronounced dead.
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Bivens was quickly arrested.
According to court records obtained by local NBC affiliate WSFA, Bivens and Walters were dating. Both hailed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Cops believe he strangled her. Authorities have yet to release a motive.
The hotel served as an overflow dorm facility for students who initially did not get rooms on campus.
ASU President Quinton Ross Jr. said in a statement that Walters was a health information management major in her second year at the school.
He extended his condolences to Walters’ classmates, family and friends.
“There are no words that can truly ease the pain of losing a loved one, but please know that the entire Hornet Nation stands with you during this difficult time,” Ross wrote. “I ask our campus community to keep her family in your thoughts and prayers and to support one another with compassion and care. May God provide comfort, strength, and peace to the family as they navigate this time of sorrow.”
Friends of her family started a GoFundMe to raise money to transport her body back to the Sunshine State.
“Ava was only 20 years old and was deeply loved by everyone who knew her,” the fundraiser said. “She was beautiful inside and out, with a loving heart and a deep love for her family.”
Bivens remains at the Montgomery County Detention Center without bond.
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