Police charge man with murder in death of woman found in East El Paso home

April 13 Update: El Paso Police have arrested a 49-year-old man and charged him with murder in the suspicious death of his common-law wife.

Police responded shortly after 5:25 p.m. Sunday to a home in the 11500 block of Jerry Lewis Way after relatives found a woman, Deanna Stewart, dead inside.

Police detectives aid the death appeared to be suspicious.

Dudley was arrested Monday morning and booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility with a bond set at $250,000.

Affidavit Reveals Details Of Alleged Homicide

According to the complaint affidavit, Stewart, Dudley and Stewart’s daughter lived together at the home on Jerry Lewis Way.

On Friday, Stewart dropped off her daughter at school at about 11 a.m. and when the daughter returned home at about 4:30 p.m. and she noticed the wooden door and the wrought iron door were cracked open, which she told police was unusual.

As the daughter was about to enter the home, Dudley slammed the door on her and locked it, telling her to wait a minute, according to the complaint affidavit.

After several minutes, Dudley came out of the house and told the daughter that he and Stewart had a fight and Stewart left the house on foot. He also said that the two of them would go looking for Stewart.

Dudley dropped off his daughter at her aunt’s home for the weekend and the daughter had no contact with Stewart and was not able to get a hold of her throughout the weekend, despite numerous attempts.

Sunday morning and early afternoon, Stewart’s niece went to the home to try and meet with her but received no answer at the door.

At about 5:25 p.m. Sunday, Stewart’s daughter and the aunt of the daughter went back to the home and found Stewart dead in the living room.

According to the affidavit, there were signs of a struggle, and she “had suffered an apparent possible gunshot wound to the center of her back, and another wound to her right chest. Two bullet fragments were located in the residence; there were no signs of forced entry. A kitchen knife was found lying next to her.”

Stewart was wearing the same clothes she had worn when her daughter last saw her alive at 11 a.m. Friday. Police say the state of decomposition of the body is consistent with death around Friday afternoon.

Police found Dudley about an hour later at the home of his brother, which police noted was unusual because the two brothers are not close.

“The defendant was in a nervous state of mind,” according to the affidavit. “He admitted to the argument with the victim, but stated that he left her in good health.

He stated that he left the residence immediately after the argument, and lived in his car over the weekend.”

Stewart’s daughter said that Dudley would never let the victim out of his sight for any length of time due to his jealousy, according to the affidavit.

The daughter said Dudley had sent Stewart text messages threatening to kill her and that she saw Stewart make a hand gesture in the shave of a gun towards Stewart’s head in the past.

April 12 Story: Police tell ABC-7 they got a call at 5:30 p.m. Sunday evening from family members of the woman.

They told police they had been trying to make contact with the woman for several days with no response. When they went to the woman’s home they found her dead.

Police are saying the manner of the death appears to be suspicious.

Crimes Against Persons along with the Crime Scene Unit where at the scene but hadn’t begun the investigation. A police spokesman said they were waiting for a warrant to search the home.