A Wisconsin man was arrested in connection to the gruesome death of his pregnant girlfriend after police found the woman’s body stuffed into a suitcase.
Shannon Mani was found dead Sunday morning at a storage facility located near 76th and Tower, two days after her family reported her missing. She was five month pregnant at the time of her death.
Investigators said the young woman’s body was covered with a garbage bag and stuffed into a suitcase. She had been bound with duct tape at the head, ankles and wrists, investigators said.
Shannon Mani, 21, was found dead Sunday morning, two days after her family reported her missing
Police said the Wisconsin college student, who was five months pregnant, had been bound with duct tape and then stuffed into a suitcase
Police discovered the suitcase in a storage locker leased to the woman’s boyfriend, 27-year-old Quentin Neal
The suitcase was discovered in a storage locker leased to 27-year-old Quentin Neal, the victim’s boyfriend.
According to CBS58 , authorities were able to retrieve a conversation from Mani’s Apple Watch which revealed that she and Neal had talked about her coming to his house on Friday.
Neal was charged with Mani’s murder and the murder of their unborn baby after he allegedly admitted to the crime to police
That same day Mani’s family contacted police to file a missing persons report saying the 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student had failed to pick up her younger brother from school and never showed up to work.
Police obtained a search warrant for Neal’s Milwaukee home and allegedly found blood in the basement.
Neal also allegedly admitted to detectives that he and Mani had gotten into an argument at his house Friday. He said there was tension in their relationship because of her pregnancy and her parents not approving of him, Fox6 reports.
‘The defendant claimed that he showed (Mani) a gun that he had obtained for protection at which time the defendant alleged that (Mani) took the gun and a knife from the kitchen, then tried to pull the trigger but it didn’t go off because of the safety,’ court documents state.
Neal appeared in court Tuesday on charges of of intentional homicide, possession of a firearm by a felon and intentional homicide of an unborn fetus
A funeral for Mani, who worked at a cosmetology shop, is expected to be held on April 22
Neal allegedly said he then shot Mani twice in the head which caused her to fall down the basement steps. He told police the pregnant woman got up and attacked him and he grabbed a knife and stabbed her.
Police have yet to release a motive for the heinous crime.
Neal appeared in court Tuesday on charges of intentional homicide, possession of a firearm by a felon and intentional homicide of an unborn fetus. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Mani’s family is expected to hold a funeral for the slain woman on April 22, Fox6 reports. According to the outlet, Mani worked at a cosmetics shop and aspired to be a dental assistant. She also worked with special needs children.