Background: A section of West Washington Street in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania (Google Maps). Inset: Andre Romulus (Chambersburg Police Department).
In a deeply troubling incident in Pennsylvania, a man stands accused of fatally assaulting a woman within an apartment, allegedly due to feelings of humiliation and being left to care for their child alone.
The suspect, 42-year-old Andre Romulus, faces charges of criminal homicide, according to court documents accessed by Law&Crime. Authorities had been on the lookout for Romulus over the weekend, culminating in his arrest on Monday.
The sequence of events began early Saturday morning around 2:20 a.m., when officers from the Chambersburg Police Department responded to a residence on West Washington Street in Chambersburg, a town situated roughly 150 miles from Philadelphia. An individual at the scene urged the first officer to “check the welfare of a female resident,” as detailed by police reports.
The request reportedly came from someone familiar with both Romulus and the victim. In an affidavit seen by PennLive, this person disclosed to police that Romulus had sent him text messages between 9:30 p.m. on Friday and shortly before authorities arrived on Saturday. At approximately 1:37 a.m., Romulus allegedly sent a foreboding message, suggesting that “he won’t see him again and to send someone to check on the victim.”
Adding to the distressing nature of the communication, Romulus purportedly expressed that the victim was abandoning him, leaving him to care for their child alone, and sought a place to stay for the night.
Upon entering the apartment, officers discovered a woman in a critical state—unconscious, unresponsive, and in desperate need of medical attention. She was found lying in a pool of blood near a bed, having suffered severe facial trauma. Despite the efforts of first responders, she tragically succumbed to her injuries and was declared deceased.
It is unclear whether a child was also found at the residence.
A preliminary investigation found that the woman died from blunt force trauma, and police identified Romulus as a suspect in her death. However, he had left the area, and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force was enlisted to assist the police department in finding him and taking him into custody.
On Monday, they did — locating him in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, about 55 miles northeast of Chambersburg. Upon executing a search warrant for Romulus’ apartment, investigators found several messages inside, including that the suspect accused the victim of being “evil” and “embarrassing him,” per PennLive. He also allegedly referenced attacking her on a previous occasion.
Romulus is due in Franklin County court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 30.
