Inset: Matthew Cruz in court (WHDH). Background: The home in Taunton, Mass., where Matthew Cruz allegedly killed his girlfriend (WJAR).
A Massachusetts man allegedly told police he choked his girlfriend “as hard as I could” — killing her — before dragging her body down a staircase. The man has changed his story multiple times about what happened, cops say.
Matthew Cruz, 37, admitted during a police interview that he put his arm around Shannon Smith’s neck and applied pressure until she stopped moving and went limp during a fight they were having, according to a criminal complaint obtained by MassLive.
Smith, also 37, was found unconscious at the bottom of the stairs inside Cruz’s Taunton townhouse Thursday. The couple had allegedly been arguing over an accusation of infidelity.
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Bristol County prosecutors say Cruz and Smith had been dating “on and off” for roughly 10 months before her death last Thursday. According to prosecutors, the argument at Cruz’s home that allegedly sparked the killing centered on Cruz’s belief that Smith had been unfaithful.
When police questioned Cruz, he allegedly gave investigators two dramatically different accounts of what happened. Cruz first claimed Smith had admitted to cheating, made “suicidal statements” and then flung herself down the staircase. He then changed his story to say the two of them fell down the stairs together during a scuffle, according to the complaint.
Smith’s skin was “discolored” when first responders showed up, which investigators believe indicated she could have been dead for a significant period before Cruz called for help. Smith’s body also had rug burns, according to police.
After changing his story, Cruz allegedly admitted to investigators that he began strangling Smith before they fell down the stairs together. He said he continued choking her after they reached the bottom, according to police.
Investigators believe the rug burns Smith suffered resulted from Cruz dragging or throwing her down the staircase.
He was previously arrested in August for assault and battery on a person 60 or older after allegedly shoving his father during an incident at his parents’ home in Bridgewater.
Cruz is being held without bail on a charge of murder. He is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 15 for a probable cause hearing.
The post Man choked girlfriend ‘as hard as I could’ before leaving her dead at bottom of stairs with rug burns, claimed she flung herself down staircase: Cops first appeared on Law & Crime.
