7-Months Pregnant Woman Who 'Looked Forward to Being a Great Mom' Is Found Slain in Car, Man Arrested
A man was arrested Thursday in the January slaying of a North Carolina woman who was seven months pregnant, according to multiple reports.
Cassia Renee Duval, 29, was found dead from a gunshot wound on Jan. 29 in her vehicle, which was in a ditch, the Bristol Herald Courier reports, citing the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department.
On Thursday, acting on tips from the public and further investigation, authorities arrested James Isaac Jones Jr. 33, the sheriff’s office said. CBS17, citing the sheriff’s office, reports Duval and Jones lived together and that Duval worked as a manager for a Waffle House.
The sheriff’s office said Jones is charged with two counts of murder: one for Duval and one for her unborn child, WRAL reports.
Jail records confirm Jones is being held at the Wayne County Detention Center. It was not immediately clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney.
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A GoFundMe page to help pay for Duval’s funeral says her baby girl was going to be named Aspen. The page describes Duval as “an amazing person who has an impact everywhere she went.”
An online obituary at Surgill Funeral Home describes her as “full of life, happy, energetic, outgoing and loved her daughter Aspen and family. She had a passion for her work place and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu family.”
The obituary adds, “She looked forward to being a great mom to Aspen and spoke of the many ‘firsts’ she was looking forward to.”
The victim’s father, David Duval, is in law enforcement in Virginia. He spoke out about his grief to WYCB, saying, “To find out it’s a homicide and it took two lives. It took Renee’s life and Aspen’s life. For me to be an officer, it’s just beyond comprehension.”
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