California Man Allegedly Repeatedly Stabbed Pregnant Sister's Uterus, Set Her Body On Fire

A California man was arrested for allegedly killing his sister, the woman who was found burning in a California alleyway Tuesday.

The accused was identified as Aaron Jamal Dudley, 41, facing two counts of murder concerning the death of the 26-year-old N-Kya Rebecca Logan, who was over eight months pregnant.

According to Fresno County, the cause of death of the unborn child, who would have been named Noah, was not due to the fire. The baby died after Logan was stabbed in her uterus several times. Two days before she died, Logan had her baby shower, Law & Crime reported.

Police responded to a report about a deceased woman who appeared to have been set on fire at around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Fresno-based NBC affiliate KSEE reported.

A man driving by North Cornelia Avenue first noticed the blaze. The witness allegedly said they thought the person was burning trash. After going closer to the area, he found the body and immediately called 911 for help. With the assistance of some maintenance workers in the neighborhood, he put out the fire, as per Fresno Bee.

The victim was initially described as a Black woman in her 20s, and responding officers said she was visibly pregnant.

Logan's body was found in an alley off the side of a dirt-access road. Homicide detectives and Fresno Fire Department arson investigators discovered a melted gas can just feet away from the victim, KSEE noted. The gas appeared to have been poured on the victim's body by her killer.

Police believe Logan was stabbed to death inside the house and then brought to the garage, where she was placed in a trash bin. Her body was then moved to the alley off the dirt road, where she was set ablaze.

In the surveillance video, the detectives allegedly saw Dudley pushing a garbage bin from home, which he shared with his sister, to the alley where the victim's burned body was found.

"We have several witnesses who saw the fire, but one witness who actually took a picture of a person who we believe is the suspect standing over the body," Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said at a recent press conference. "Several surveillance videos which show the suspect pushing a trash bin. We believe the victim was inside the trash bin. She was taken to the alley before she was set on fire."

As officers executed a search warrant, Dudley was arrested while trying to escape his home.

Fresno County District Attorney Lisa A. Smittcamp said at Wednesday's press conference that "the killing of a fetus is murder," and her office would seek the death penalty.

As of press time, law enforcement officers have not speculated on a motive for the killing.

The police chief said Dudley had previously been deemed a danger to his family. Officers reportedly visited the siblings' home in response to a 911 call on July 28, 2021. It allegedly resulted in Dudley being placed on a 72-hour hold.

"The victim did fear for her safety on that call in July," Balderrama said. "So if I were to define it, I'd say not great. But at this point, without getting any further disclosures from the victim's family or suspect, I can't say for certain what their relationship was like."