Last year, on the mid-afternoon of October 18th, the defendant, Stu Dents, left his apartment on Main Street and drove to Broadway and 83rd. Two eyewitnesses say the defendant then walked through the Broadway Arms apartment building to his girlfriend’s apartment, number 156, and entered the apartment.

It is unclear how the defendant entered the apartment, but no signs of force were evident. Witnesses could not say if the defendant used a key. The victim, Uma Opee, was not home at the time. Coworkers say Uma Opee was last seen when she left work at 5:10 p.m.

The body of the victim was found October 19th at 7:45 a.m. behind an abandoned building approximately 5 miles from her residence. The victim was found with cloth stuffed in her mouth, her arms and legs tied with rope restraints, having been stabbed to death.

Uma Opee worked at a music store within walking distance of her apartment. She had a previous criminal record that included shoplifting, drug possession and sale, assault, and disorderly conduct. Uma completed court-ordered rehabilitation just 2 months before her death.

The coroner determined that the victim was stabbed 13 times and bled to death at approximately 11:45 p.m. the evening of October 18th. Cuts and bruises were found on the victim’s body as well as skin particles under her fingernails, signifying a struggle had occurred prior to her death. DNA tests were conducted on the skin particles under the victim’s fingernails and matched the DNA samples of the defendant. A toxicology report showed there were no drugs in the victim’s system at the time of her death.

The victim’s apartment was found to have spots of blood on the carpeting in the living room as well as rope particles matching the rope used to tie the victim’s hands and feet. A blue MDMA tablet, also known as ecstasy, with a “thumbs-up” imprint was found under a table in the