
Investigators with the San Diego Police Department investigate after a man allegedly threw his girlfriend from a third-story balcony (KNSD/YouTube).
Residents of a San Diego, California, apartment complex were left traumatized after a man allegedly threw his girlfriend off a third-story balcony in retaliation for her throwing some of his items over the railing.
Irene Williams, 61, suffered severe head trauma and a broken femur. Paramedics rushed her to the hospital where she died. Now her boyfriend, 57-year-old Albert Turner, stands accused of first-degree murder, the San Diego Police Department said in a press release obtained by Law&Crime.
The incident unfolded around 7:21 p.m. Monday at an apartment complex in the 500 block of West San Ysidro Boulevard. Witnesses called 911 to say they saw a man throw a woman from the balcony. Detectives later found out Williams and Turner had been arguing and she took some of Turner’s possessions and tossed them over the balcony in the corridor near the apartment.
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Neighbor Charles Riddle saw the incident unfold.
“I’m truly traumatized by what I’ve seen,” Riddle told local NBC affiliate KNSD.
Riddle told the TV station he lives near Williams and was walking to his car when he overheard the couple arguing.
“Before I made it to my car I hear a commotion and I turn around and he’s gotten ahold of her from behind and he heaves her over the balcony, and she cartwheels and hits head first on the ground,” he said.
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According to cops, Turner remained on scene and was taken into custody.
Another neighbor in an interview with KNSD noted the size difference between the victim and suspect.
“I see her around all the time. She’s just a frail, little old lady,” the neighbor said. “He was big, you know, muscular — you know, he was a big guy.”
Turner had moved in with Williams within the last month or so, the neighbor said.
The suspect remains in the San Diego County Jail without bond. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.