A hulking maniac who allegedly tortured his 21-year-old girlfriend and left her to die in a Bronx stairwell was arrested Saturday after a days-long manhunt, police said.
Robert Strother was nabbed for allegedly tying Princesa Encarnacion-Soto to a bed and stabbing her from head to toe July 22 at a Fordham Heights building, cops said.
Strother was charged with murder, manslaughter, hindering prosecution, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence, cops said.
The NYPD has a person in custody in the brutal murder of Princesa Encarnacion-Soto, who was stabbed from head to toe in the Bronx last month and left to die in a stairwell, cops confirmed. Tomas E. Gaston
Investigators believe Princesa Encarnacion-Soto, 21, was tied down to the bed while her boyfriend allegedly tortured her. facebook
Police could not confirm if Strother was the person arrested, but were preparing charges. Tomas E. Gaston
Strother, dressed in a white T-shirt and black sweatpants, stayed silent when asked about Encarnacion-Soto’s death, ignoring questions as police walked him from the 46th Precinct to a waiting vehicle with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Strother’s mother, Naida Jorge, allegedly cleaned up the crime scene after the murder. Brigitte Stelzer
Encarnacion-Soto was found barely breathing in the third floor stairwell of the Fordham Heights building on Grand Concourse near East 183rd Street. Brigitte Stelzer
Strother was taken into custody on Friday. Tomas E. Gaston
After his arrest, Strother was taken to the hospital, though an NYPD spokesperson couldn’t detail why he was taken to the hospital. Tomas E. GastonHe later pleaded not guilty to all charges during an arraignment Sunday night, where he was held without bail.
The NYPD on Thursday released a photo of Strother, 27, and said he was the suspect in the slaying, after searching for him for more than a week.
Encarnacion-Soto was staying in the building on Grand Concourse near East 183rd Street with Strother and his mother, 54-year-old Naida Jorge, who was also charged in the case, cops said.
Cops took Strother into custody on Friday after a person who saw the video and photos notified authorities, but he was hospitalized after his arrest, police said.
A police spokesman couldn’t say why Strother was taken to the hospital.
He is due back in court on Wednesday.
Additional reporting by Khristina Narizhnaya
