A Fayetteville man now faces a felony charge of capital murder in connection with the death of 76-year-old Shirley Wolfe.
David Browning, 55, has been in the Washington County Detention Center since Wednesday morning when he was arrested on suspicion of unrelated charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct. On Friday, the Fayetteville Police Department added the charge of capital murder.
A witness told police he was with Browning and the victim early Wednesday morning and heard Browning threaten to kill her if she didn't drop pending charges against him from a past incident.
Police confirmed to 5NEWS that Browning was the woman’s boyfriend.
Police received a call of a stabbing at 510 S. College Ave. at 3:52 p.m. on Wednesday. Investigators found the Wolfe's body face-down in the living room with what appeared to be multiple stab wounds and blunt-force trauma, according to a preliminary report from the Washington County Prosecutor's Office.
Wolfe told police in late July that she feared for her life, saying Browning had threatened to kill her. Officers responded to the home that day and arrested Browning, according to court documents.
Records show Browning was sentenced in 2010 to three years in prison in an assault case.
Browning is listed as "homeless" in his detention center booking profile on the Washington County Sheriff's Office website.
Detectives had been searching since Wednesday for Fabian Perales, a person of interest in the murder investigation. Fayetteville police later caught up with Perales. After being questioned, Perales was cleared as a suspect, and police said they were treating him as an eyewitness.
Police blocked South College Avenue between East 4th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Investigators had three homes taped off.