A 27-year-old Middletown woman will be charged in the death of a man who was found dead at the Branford Motel last week and police say she confessed to the crime.
Byron C. McDade, 41, of Deep River, died of "a traumatic injury to his neck" and his death was deemed a homicide, according to police. McDade's body was found in a motel room at 470 East Main Street in Branford late last Thursday.
Authorities have obtained an arrest warrant charging Lashanda Gregory, 27, of Main Street in Middletown, with murder, third-degree larceny and sixth-degree larceny.
Police said security footage captured Gregory and McDade together at a local business hours before the murder.
"Once we located her, our detectives obtained a confession, directly linking her to Mr. McDade's death," Det. Lt. Arthur Kohloff said in a statement Monday.
A housekeeper at the motel found McDade face down on the floor of his room, according to police. Hotel management said McDade was a regular customer.
The nature of the relationship between Gregory and McDade is unclear. Police referred to Gregory as McDade's "female companion."
Gregory is behind bars on unrelated charges. She's being held on $250,000 bond.
The medical examiner's office said the cause of McDade's death is "pending further studies."
