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The woman charged with killing an IPFW student Friday is the mother of one of the victim’s roommates, and she had been staying in the campus suite for two weeks, according to court documents.
Liette “Lola” Martinez, 22, was found dead inside her bedroom on the fourth floor of Building H at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne when her roommate arrived home.
IPFW has scheduled a news conference for 2 p.m. Monday to talk about Martinez’ death.
Tina Loraine Morris, 36, was arrested Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis on preliminary charges of murder and auto theft. Fort Wayne police earlier asked other police agencies to be on the lookout for Martinez’s 2006 Mazda, which was missing.
According to court documents, Morris was the mother of one of Martinez’s two roommates and had been staying in the university-owned apartment for about two weeks.
Video cameras in the building’s hallways showed both Martinez’ roommates left the apartment on Friday morning, with one returning around 11:40 a.m. A video camera captures Tina Morris leaving the building at 10:25 a.m., according to court documents.
When she was arrested, Morris told police she “confronted” Martinez about how the younger woman had spoken to her daughter the night before. The two argued, according to Morris. The older woman saw a knife on Martinez’s desk, grabbed it and the two fought over the knife. Morris said she got the knife away from Martinez and stabbed her, according to court documents.
Morris then took a pan of hot water off the kitchen table, threw it on Martinez and hit her in the face with the pan. Morris continued to stab Martinez, the documents said.
She then changed her clothes, saw Martinez’s car keys on the table and took off in the victim’s car, according to court documents.
The Allen County coroner declared the death a homicide, the county’s 13th of the year, with the cause of death being loss of blood from a stab wound.
Morris is being held without bond and a court appearance is set for Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Those taking part in today’s news conference include Chancellor Michael Wartell, Vice Chancellor for Financial Affairs Walt Branson, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs George McClellan, IPFW police Chief Lauren Denhartog, Student Housing Director Sara Garcia and Fort Wayne police spokesman Mike Joyner, according to a written statement from the school.
rgreen@jg.net
