A West Haven man has been charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, a 26-year-old mother of two, found dead in a Coleman Street apartment on Saturday morning.
Police have charged Gerard Edward Crosley, 37, of West Haven, with the murder of 26-year-old Keneata Nicholas, as well as risk of injury to a minor.
Police found Nicholas’ body when they responded to 89 Coleman St. Court documents say first responders said they heard a baby boy crying when they arrived and forced their way into the home.
Nicholas had been stabbed 30 times and her throat was cut, police said.
Nicholas, who wanted to be an EMT and was getting ready to go back to college was the mother of a 7-month-old son she had with Crosley and a 5-year-old daughter.
Her mother, Patricia Folson, said she talked to her daughter on the phone at 7:05 a.m. on Saturday and knew something was wrong when she arrived at the house 20 minutes later to take Nicholas to her housekeeping job at the nearby Hampton Inn and babysit her son, but there was no answer when she rang the doorbell.
"We found her on the ground, on the floor, in the living room. She was on the coffee table with glass and stuff all over the floor," Folson said.
Folson said her daughter and Crosley dated for around two years and had broken up two to three weeks before Nicholas was killed.
Crosley is being held on $2 million bond and was arraigned on Tuesday.
A public defender is representing him and the judge issued a protective order for a minor.
Crosley has prior convictions for possession of narcotics, larceny and arson.
He is due back in court on March 8.
Police listed Crosley's address as the same building where Nicholas was found. No additional details about the arrest have been released.
Folson said a fund-raiser is planned to pay for the burial of her daughter.
