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Teenage boy 'recorded himself sexually assaulting girlfriend before choking her to death'

Investigators allegedly found audio footage of teenager killing 15-year-old girlfriend 

Elsa Vulliamy
Thursday 02 June 2016 20:01 BST
Karen Perez's body was found under the sink in an abandoned apartment
Karen Perez's body was found under the sink in an abandoned apartment

A teenage boy has been charged with murder after a recording of him sexually assaulting and choking his girlfriend to death was allegedly found on his phone.

The body of Ms Karen Perez was found partially clothed in a cabinet under the kitchen sink of an abandoned apartment building in her hometown of Houston, Texas, days after she was reported missing.

Her boyfriend, who is a minor and therefore has not been named, has been charged with her murder and remanded in custody.

Prosecutors told the court on Wednesday that Ms Perez’s boyfriend had sent her a text message last Friday saying that he would kill her if she did not skip school with him, according to local news reports. Surveillance footage from the same day shows the two of them together, hand in hand.

After Ms Perez was reported missing, the court heard, her boyfriend’s father suggested they go and look for her. The boy told his parents that Ms Perez was “not alive”, prompting them to call the police.

Investigators who examined the boy’s mobile phone say they found a video that was completely black, but had clear audio that appeared to be a recording of him sexually assaulting and killing Ms Perez as she sobbed, told him she did not want to have sex, and cried out: “I don’t want to die”.

Prosecutors said Ms Perez’s boyfriend can be heard calling her by name, sexually assaulting her and choking her.

The boy will remain in juvenile detention while he awaits a second trial in 10 days’ time.

Ms Perez's family have set up a GoFundMe page requesting donations to assist with funeral and legal expenses.

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