Police suspect Logan was slain inside her home before being brought to the alley four blocks away and set on fire.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on December 16, 2022. It has since been updated.
After being fatally stabbed and set on fire in an alley, a woman from Fresno, California, who was 36 weeks pregnant, died. Her brother is now under arrest. In a press conference on Wednesday, Fresno Police Department Chief of Police Paco Balderrama identified the woman as N-Kya Rebecca Logan, 26, and revealed that she had "been stabbed to death and then set on fire."
On Sunday, December 11, Logan, who was 36 weeks pregnant, celebrated her baby shower. Noah was going to be the name of her newborn boy, Balderrama revealed. Days after the baby shower, Logan was brutally murdered and her body was found burning in an alley. This killing ups the total to 58 in the city.
The fire on an unpaved lane in the 4400 block of N. Cornelia Street was reported to the Fresno Fire Department and FPD on Tuesday at about 12:30 p.m. local time. "When they arrived, they saw a victim who had been set on fire, completely engulfed in fire," said the police chief, per PEOPLE.
Authorities detained her brother, Aaron Jamal Dudley, 41, after they were able to collect "several pieces of evidence." Balderrama claimed that he and Logan shared a residence and that the putative suspect is related to the tangible evidence discovered at the crime scene. "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. Several surveillance videos 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," Balderrama shared.
Lisa A. Smittcamp, the district attorney for Fresno County, stood at the podium and expressed her sympathy to Logan's family. The district attorney's office intends to advocate for the death penalty. Dudley was detained as he attempted to "run away from the home," according to Balderrama, who then returned and answered questions from the media. Officers had "suspicions that the brother may be involved" and was carrying out a search warrant as a result. Authorities entered the home and discovered evidence connecting Dudley to the crimes.
Fresno Police have arrested the brother of the 26-year-old N-Kya Rebecca Logan, an 8 months pregnant woman who was stabbed to death and set on fire in Northwest Fresno.https://t.co/IhqJNfx0rj pic.twitter.com/PPh4mhQEpq
— ABC30 Fresno (@ABC30) December 15, 2022
Balderrama mentioned that Dudley had supposedly been deemed unsafe around family members the previous time officials had visited the residence. He made it obvious that Dudley is psychologically capable of withstanding a trial based on his claimed post-murder conduct, including his purported attempts to dispose of the body and elude authorities. When questioned about the relationship between Logan and Dudley, Balderrama revealed that on July 28, police had been called to the house and that "the victim did fear for her safety." What motivated it is unclear.
He added that police suspect Logan was slain inside her home before being brought to the alley four blocks away and set on fire. According to Dudley's booking record, no bail amount has been decided. Whether Dudley has a lawyer who can speak for him remained unclear.
References:
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Cover Image Source: YouTube | CBS47 KSEE24
