Woman suspected of killing man: “It was self-defense, what can I say?”

The man found dead inside an apartment in Central El Paso late Tuesday night was 66-year-old Ned Rogers, according to a complaint affidavit obtained by ABC-7.

Police found Roger’s body inside an apartment unit he was about to lease on the 1000 block of E. Missouri.

Roger’s throat was slashed and he appeared to have suffered serious head trauma, the document states.

Investigators later learned Eugina Derden, 56, was allegedly with the victim earlier that day. Police arrested Derden and charged her with Murder. She was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility Wednesday under a $1,000,000 bond.

While riding in the back of a police unit on the way to police headquarters for questioning, Derden allegedly said, “It was self-defense, what can I say? What am I going to do?” Police said her statement was recorded.

Days before the murder, Rogers was handed keys to the vacant apartment unit he was about to lease. The landlord gave him permission to clean the apartment with the understanding he would not move in until he received his government check July 2, 2016.

Days later, a neighbor went to check the vacant apartment because he was afraid homeless individuals may have moved in without the owner’s consent.

The neighbor said he encountered Derden and asked her is she lived in the apartment. Derden allegedly answered “yes.”

Derden became upset and asked for privacy, the neighbor said. On his way downstairs, the neighbor encountered Rogers and also asked him if he lived in the apartment. At that point, Derden became verbally abusive with the neighbor, who advised the couple he was going to call police.

Rogers reassured the neighbor Derden was his wife and that she was was upset because she was recently involved in an accident. Rogers also apologized for the woman’s behavior and told the neighbor he was cleaning the apartment because he was about to move in.

Hours later, a maintenance man checked on the apartment to make sure that Rogers was not staying inside the unit overnight.

He found Rogers lying motionless on the ground and believed he was drunk or asleep. The maintenance man alerted the apartment complex owner and called 911.

When advised to perform CPR on Rogers, the men noticed Rogers’ mouth and nose were covered in blood.

Two days later, investigators located Darden on the 1000 block of N. Mesa and took her into custody.

Darden became a person of interest because she was the only other known person to be with Rogers that day, police said.

Her mugshot has not been released at this time.