Inset: Michael Ranger (Rocky Hill Police Department). Background: Authorities investigate an incident on Concord Drive in Rocky Hill, Connecticut (WTNH/YouTube).
A man stabbed a woman to death at her Connecticut home, violating a protective order in the process, before fleeing the state, authorities in the Constitution State say.
Michael Ranger, 55, faces charges including murder and violation of a standing criminal protective order, the Rocky Hill Police Department announced in late August.
The victim was identified as 59-year-old Jacqueline Yolanda Matthews, according to regional ABC affiliate WTNH.
On Aug. 22, the Rocky Hill Police Department responded to a condominium complex on Concord Drive in Rocky Hill, over a report of a woman being attacked. The town is located in the center of the state, about 10 miles south of Hartford.
Officers arrived to find Matthews with apparent stab wounds. Medical personnel tried to save her, and she was rushed to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
She died of sharp force injuries to her neck and torso, and the manner of death was homicide, the state Office of Chief Medical Examiner determined, according to CT Insider.
Ranger was reportedly not at the crime scene, and authorities say they found him in Saratoga Springs, New York, the next day via a license plate reader and arrested him. He was extradited to Connecticut on Thursday.
On Friday, as Ranger appeared in court, more details about the case came to light. Ranger had a pending domestic violence case involving Matthews as well as a criminal protective order in place at the time of the murder, according to the local outlet.
The defendant is reportedly an Amazon driver who is originally from Canada and recently moved to Florida. It is unclear if authorities suspect a specific motive in the case.
Ranger is being held on a combined $2.1 million bond. He is scheduled to return to court for an arraignment on Sept. 17.
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