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Danielle Thomas (July 13, 2012) |
A grand jury has indicted Danielle Thomas' ex-boyfriend on 10 felony charges including first-degree murder in connection with her death last month in New York City, officials announced Friday.
Jason Bohn, 33, of New York City, now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for allegedly beating and torturing Thomas to death last month, said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.
Thomas, 27, was a native of Danville and a graduate of Boyle County High School.
Bohn was originally charged with second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. However, the results of the investigation supported a first-degree murder charge against Bohn, according to Brown.
Bohn allegedly acted in an “especially cruel and wanton manner pursuant to a course of conduct intended to inflict and inflicting torture upon (Thomas) prior to (her) death,” according to the indictment.
Bohn faces one count of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree strangulation, one count of aggravated criminal contempt, one count of tampering with physical evidence, one count of first-degree criminal contempt, one count of third-degree assault and three counts of second-degree aggravated harassment.
Thomas and Bohn had dated for about a year after meeting in Florida, where Thomas worked for Disney and Bohn had recently finished law school. They moved to New York City a few months ago, where Thomas worked as a Weight Watchers accountant.
But Bohn allegedly became extremely physically abusive and controlling, which led Thomas to file assault charges against Bohn on June 7. While she was at the police precinct filing a report, Bohn allegedly called her cell phone and said, “It’s war! I’ll dedicate my life to hunting you down like a dog in the streets,” according to court documents.
Police arrested Bohn on assault and harassment charges and granted Thomas a restraining order.
Originally, investigators thought Thomas had died on June 26. However, the autopsy and investigation revealed that Thomas likely died on June 24, according to Brown. Bohn allegedly planned to torture and kill Thomas, who died of multiple injuries after being strangled and beaten to death, according to the New York City Medical Examiner’s office.
He allegedly spent two days in the apartment with Thomas’ body and texted her friends and family members pretending to be her, according to court documents. On June 26, Bohn allegedly called police and said, “‘I threw her against the wall. Somebody should go and check if she’s all right.” Police officers found Thomas’ body in a bathtub full of ice and notes scattered throughout the apartment with statements such as “Dani, I will love you forever.”
Bohn’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 23.
