Grisly details have emerged in the death of a woman whose body was found badly decomposed in a Stockton apartment last December.
Prosecutors say Devon Epps murdered his girlfriend and then lived with her rotting corpse, which he kept in the bathtub, for months.
Veronica Jones, a 35-year-old mother of ten, was first reported missing by family members in June of last year. It wasn’t until Epps was evicted from his home six months later that the apartment manager discovered her body. According to authorities, her face had been beaten beyond recognition.
Epps was arrested and charged with murder two days later. Management at his building said he suffered from mental problems and kicked him out for incidents relating to his illness.
“Violence, yelling, screaming, destruction, and women locked in the room,” apartment management employee Leslie Pearce told CBS News upon his arrest.
Jurors were shown graphic images of the crime scene during Epps’ trial, which began on Friday. The coroner says Jones was bludgeoned with a metal pedestal, raped and stabbed 32 times.
“It’s morbid, it’s disgusting,” Jones’ brother, Isaac Zuniga, said when the victim’s body was first discovered. “I’m horrified by the experience my sister went through.”
