Suspect tried to block entry to Amanda Strous' burning apartment, cops say
The man charged with killing the Dallastown native also had blood on his legs, documents state
A man charged with killing Dallastown-native Amanda Strous allegedly had blood on his legs and refused to allow anyone to enter her burning apartment, according to police search warrants.
Mathew Benner, 28, has been charged with murder and arson in Strous' death on June 18. Benner lived in the same apartment complex as Strous.
Witnesses told police they heard a woman screaming, and then the fire alarms sounded, the search warrant states.
As residents were evacuating the apartment complex, witnesses said they saw a man on the phone, "sweating profusely and physically refusing to allow anyone to enter the burning apartment."
The man told witnesses "someone was injured inside of the apartment," the search warrant states. The witnesses said they saw blood on his legs.
Witnesses said the man ran to the third floor before escaping through the parking lot.
Emergency responders found Strous inside the fire-damaged apartment, and she was taken to Carolinas Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Strous was an all-star field hockey player, a student counselor at Central Piedmont Community College and a bride-to-be. She and her fiance were planning to marry on July 30.
The day after the murder, police spoke with a witness who has known Benner for about five years, the search warrant states. The witness, who is not named in court papers, told police that Benner allegedly confessed to the crime and that he was going to run.
Benner was arrested in Nye County, Nevada on June 20. He since has been transported to North Carolina and remains in Mecklenburg County Jail
Items seized during a search of Benner's apartment included: clothing, keys, matches, laptops, a notebook, mail, gloves, firearms and ammunition, according to an inventory of seized items.
Police also seized items from Strous' apartment, including swabs, matches, lighter fluid, fibers, tape and a smoke detector.
Benner has a bond hearing on July 13 and a probable cause hearing on July 25, according to a court official.