UPDATE: Palm Springs murder suspect arrested in Texas
UPDATE:
According to John Hall of Riverside County DA’s Office Beushausen waived extradition on Oct. 24. The process has started to bring him back to Riverside County.
No word yet on when Beushausen will arrive.
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ORIGINAL:
A man accused of killing his girlfriend in their Palm Springs apartment in March has been arrested in Texas and charged with murder.
James Beushausen was arrested for the death of Jaylynn Amanda Keith in Palm Springs. On March 15, 2017, Keith was found dead in a bathtub with a gunshot wound in the center of her forehead at an apartment on the 600 block of N Bellardo Road, according to court documents.
Officers contacted Beushausen after they learned he was the only other person in the apartment when Keith died. Beushausen stated he lived with Keith at the apartment, who was his girlfriend.
According to court documents, Beushausen provided three statements on the events of Keith’s death that were each contradictory to one another.
During the 911 call, Beushausen stated that he was asleep and had been awakened by the sound of a gunshot. Beushausen later told emergency crews that he had been awakened by an electrical popping sound and that it took him 20 minutes to find Keith. Beushausen later told Keith’s father that when he got home, “She (Keith) got up and went and killed herself.” He also said that she was still alive when he discovered her.
Court documents also revealed that Beushausen stated he had located a 9mm firearm underneath Keith’s right hip and that he handled the firearm and moved Keith’s body. An investigation later proved that Beushausen’s statements on finding the firearm behind and underneath Keith’s body were inconsistent.
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A forensic analysis of the scene revealed that the necessary position of Keith’s body to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound would have to be contorted and unlikely.
Blood splatter was also located on two walls directly to the right and rear of Keith’s head. However, no blood splatter was located on the remaining walls of the bathroom, which was inconsistent with the position of Keith’s body inside of the bathtub. Cleaning wipes were discovered on the bathroom sink.
Investigators said that Beushausen initially assisted the investigation with statements, but Beushausen later declined to cooperate further and invoked his Miranda rights.
Investigators later learned through multiple interviews with Keith’s family members and an examination of Keith’s cellphone that Beushausen and Keith had been involved in an altercation on the previous morning. Keith described the altercation as Beushausen becoming “Psycho crazy”.
Keith also reported that Beushausen had taken his firearm out of the safe during the altercation.
The interviews with relatives revealed that Keith intended on telling him she wanted to leave “when he sobered up” and had already made arrangements with family and friends for another living situation. Investigators determined that Keith had no history of depression or suicidal thoughts.
Shortly after being questioned by detectives, Beushausen “abruptly quit his job” and moved to McAllen, Texas.
Palm Springs detectives became concerned that Beushausen’s move to McAllen, a town just north of the Mexican border, would lead to him fleeing the country, so they traveled to Texas this week to apprehend him.
Beushausen was arrested Wednesday by Palm Springs investigators in the parking lot of a McAllen shopping center. He has officially been charged with one count of homicide with enhancement of using a firearm and two charges of unlawfully possessing an assault weapon.
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
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