Man indicted in beating death of girlfriend in Hoover apartment, held on more than $1 million bond

A 32-calendar year-previous person has been indicted in the beating death of his girlfriend who was discovered slain in her Hoover condominium in January.

A Jefferson County grand jury indicted Cortez Lenard Warren on murder in the demise of 25-12 months-outdated Madison Shea Pilkington. Her physique was found Saturday, Jan 29, within her household at The Halston.

The indictment was issued April 7, before Warren even experienced a preliminary listening to, and was made general public Wednesday. In the beginning held on $262,000 bond, Warren’s bond is now established at additional than $1 million.

The indictment states Warren recurring struck Pilkington with his arms and toes triggering several, fatal blunt force accidents.

Each Pilkington and Warren worked at Baumhowers Victory Grille in Vestavia Hills. She was a graduate of Springville Significant Faculty and was attending university with hopes of a job in graphics and design and style.

The couple experienced been relationship for considerably less than a year.

Warren, who was captured in northern Jefferson County Saturday afternoon subsequent a prolonged I-65 pursuit, is also charged with tampering with bodily evidence and illegal possession of marijuana. He has previous arrests for domestic violence involving one more female, but these costs in the end were dismissed.

Pilkington’s relatives members previous communicated with her through text three times prior to her overall body was discovered and turned increasingly concerned when she did not present up for work on Thursday and Friday.

A household member who had a vital to the couple’s apartment went inside of just after 4 a.m. that Saturday and noticed a pile of blankets on the couch. When he moved them, courtroom documents state, he identified Pilkington bruised and unresponsive with a white grocery sack above her head.

He immediately remaining the apartment and identified as 911.

1st responders arrived, and Pilkington was pronounced useless on the scene at 4:24 a.m.

In courtroom documents, investigators describe what appeared to be some sort of struggle in the apartment.

The bed room door was kicked in and there was a damaged desk close by. Officers located a gun on a table close to the bed but claimed the magazine had been eradicated and there was no bullet in the chamber.

The mattress was stripped, and the bedding was in garbage baggage in the vicinity of the entrance doorway. Blood was located in some locations of the condominium.

“It appeared that somebody attempted to clean up up the blood,’’ a detective wrote. “Warren was interviewed write-up-Miranda and admitted to possessing tried to clear up the crime scene.”

Investigators swiftly identified Warren as a suspect and instantly started searching for him. A BOLO was issued for him and a white Nissan Altima.

In the early afternoon, he was spotted in a white Nissan Altima. He traveled by means of Irondale and Birmingham then on to Interstate 65 northbound with officers from multiple organizations guiding him, like Hoover, Irondale and Fultondale.

As Warren pulled on the shoulder of the interstate to prevent, the officers next him were making an attempt to stop as perfectly. At that level, a passing motorist – 62-year-outdated Julie Johnson of New Orleans, struck a Fultondale officer’s SUV from at the rear of. The officer and Johnson have been taken to UAB Medical center and recovered.

Warren’s car was towed as proof, and a quarter of a pound of marijuana was recovered from the motor vehicle, data point out.

Courtroom documents demonstrate Warren was arrested in 2016 on domestic violence costs from an additional girl. Charging files point out he and that female had an extended record of domestic violence and was accused of choking her, throwing her on the mattress and shoving his hand in her mouth to stop her from screaming.

He was also accused detrimental her telephone so she could not contact for assist. A person of the charges was dismissed, and a grand jury declined to indict him on the strangulation/suffocation demand.

A demo day has not been set.