Florida Man Found Unconscious Near Girlfriend's Body In Her Bedroom Charged With Murder

A man who was found unconscious near his girlfriend's dead body in Florida was charged with her murder Sunday, police said.

Elizabeth Crisanti, 61, from Ormond Beach, was found dead in her bedroom after officers responded to her house for a welfare check on her on Sept. 22. Crisanti's relative alerted the police after she failed to pick up her grandchildren from school. The responding officers also found Crisanti's 61-year-old boyfriend, Nelson Rivera, alive but unconscious in the same bedroom, Orlando Sentinel reported.

The investigators ruled the woman's death "suspicious" and initiated a probe last week. The officers said Rivera had overdosed on prescription medication and was taken to a hospital where he remained till Sunday.

Crisanti's body had “sharp force” injuries and there were signs of struggle at the crime scene. However, there were no signs of forced entry into the house which was locked from inside when the officers arrived, police said.

"The investigation into Crisanti’s murder revealed evidence that she was fearful of Rivera, who was described as extremely controlling, and that she was planning an exit strategy from the relationship," Volusia County Sheriff's office said in a news release.

Riveria was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and was transported to Volusia County Jail, where he is being held without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Last week, a 35-year-old woman from New York was found dead inside her apartment in the Bronx. The victim, identified as Belkis Lopez, was found dead with a rubber band around her neck on Sept. 20. The woman's unidentified teen daughter found the body and alerted her relatives who reported it to the police.

The police believe that the victim was strangled to death by her on-again, off-again boyfriend. Lopez had previously filed a domestic violence complaint against the unidentified boyfriend in 2017. The victim's neighbors also gave evidence that the suspect had banged on the doors of Lopez's home a few days before her death and had made wild accusations about her. The police said that there were two other children aged 3 and 5 inside the house when the woman was found dead but they were unharmed.