Dallas

Dallas homicide victim laid to rest; suspect transferred to Dallas County

Jenean Chapman's family said her funeral was on Friday in New York.

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The family of Jenean Chapman, an executive who once worked for Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was laid to rest on Friday in New York according to her family.

Police believe her husband, James Michael Patrick, killed her after the body of the 46-year-old was found inside her Dallas apartment at 1401 Elm Street last month.

According to an arrest affidavit for Patrick, he was arrested in Austin after being admitted to Dell Seton Medical Center on Sept. 25, "for treatment to an adverse reaction to an unknown substance taken by the suspect."

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James Michael Patrick was arrested in Austin on Sept. 25

The document goes on to state that a doctor "observed a bloody, black fingernail on the suspect and asked how the injury occurred. The suspect stated, 'I got in a fight with my wife."

Chapman's body was discovered on Monday, Sept. 25 after performing a welfare check after she failed to show up to work.

The arrest affidavit said Chapman was found, "deceased lying on her bed. There were large amounts of blood on the bedding and floor of the bedroom. A nightstand on the one side of the bed and a lamp on the other had been knocked over. There was obvious injuries to the complainants' neck, face and body."

It goes on to state Chapman's work called the police because five days before her body was found, she had requested time off due to domestic issues she was having with her husband. They said she had not answered her phone or had any contact with the company days later.

The affidavit also said a sister told investigators that she hadn't heard from Chapman since the 20th or 21st of September, which was unusual because she "lives with her phone.'" The family member said Chapman and the husband had been separated and reported that her sister, "told her the suspect choked her unconscious in a recent fight."

The Dallas Police Department reported that there was a history of family violence between the suspect and victim, according to the document.

Surveillance video from the apartment showed Patrick on the property on Sept. 20 loading up furniture and was also on the premises on Sept. 22.

Patrick was transferred from Austin to Dallas County and remains in jail on a $1 million bond. It's not clear if he's obtained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner's office ruled Chapman's death a homicide but still waiting for toxicology reports to say the cause of death. It was documented that she had "suffered hemorrhaging to the muscles in the neck and eyes, blunt force head trauma, lacerations to inside of mouth and blood around the brain."

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