An Ohio resident faced murder charges nearly six weeks after he alleged that his 18-year-old girlfriend died by suicide with a firearm he had introduced into their shared home.

On December 6, Haiden Babiuch was discovered dead from a gunshot wound. This occurred shortly after her boyfriend, Ezekiel Ananias James, aged 20, was released from incarceration. He had been serving a sentence for offenses including carrying a concealed weapon, tampering with evidence, and unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance, according to WTVG.

During police questioning, James asserted that Babiuch took her own life, expressing to investigators that she was anxious about the possibility of him leaving her due to infidelity while he was incarcerated. He acknowledged bringing the firearm into their home but claimed ignorance about her knowledge of its presence, as outlined in the police report.

James was initially released while authorities pursued their investigation.

Subsequently, the medical examiner’s findings contradicted the suicide claim, ruling Babiuch’s death as a homicide. Consequently, on Tuesday, James was charged with one count of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, and one count of felonious assault.