Ashley Elkins update: Ex-boyfriend De'Andre Booker charged with murder
Ashley Elkins ex charged with murder four weeks after disappearance
The ex-boyfriend of Ashley Elkins has been charged with her murder after police said they found 'substantial blood' in his apartment that is confirmed to be hers through DNA tests.
MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - The ex-boyfriend of Ashley Elkins, who has been missing for nearly a month, will be arraigned on a first-degree murder charge Friday morning, according to jail records.
De'Andre Booker, 32, was arrested on Jan. 8, and charged with lying to police. Though Elkins' body hasn't been found, sources said DNA evidence suggests that Booker killed the 30-year-old.
What we know:
During Friday's hearing, police said there was a large crime scene, including ‘substantial blood’ in the bathroom of the apartment that DNA tests confirmed was Elkins'.
The lead detective said Elkins has had no banking activity and they believe she is deceased and that Booker is responsible.
Booker did not speak during his arraignment. His attorney said he was standing mute to all charges and asked for him to be released on a personal recognizance, citing his ties to the community and no prior criminal history.
The prosecution argued he should be held without bond – which the judge agreed with.
Booker is due back in court on Feb. 5 for a probable cause conference. His preliminary exam is Feb. 12 at 8:30 a.m.
What they're saying:
After the arraignment, Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido spoke from outside the courtroom. He was joined by police and Maurice Morton, an uncle of Elkins.
Morton is representing the family as Elkins' mother and sister were not speaking on Friday.
Lucido said the search at the landfill is still incomplete.
"There is still information that is ongoing and being processed," Lucido said.
The Macomb County Prosecutor was joined by Roseville Police Chief Mitch Berlin.
"Blood was recovered from the apartment, analyzed by the state police crime lab, and it was a match to Ashley," Mitch Berlin.
Neither the prosecutor or Berlin would say if there was blood in any other room in the apartment but, when asked, Berlin did say that evidence is still being evaluated – including at the landfill.
"Everything that was gathered there is still being processed," Oberlin said.
How is Ashley Elkins' family responding?
The mother and aunt of Elkins did not want to speak However, her uncle Maurice Morton did speak, saying that they're grateful for the work but Friday was a tough day for them all.
"Very tough day. Very emotional to hear the charges that were levied," Morton said. "A little over four weeks now, waiting for murder charges to come. This does not bring complete closure, but is the journey to justice."
Elkins was a mom to two boys: a 10-year-old and 7-year-old.
Morton said the death of their mother is going to be something they carry with them but Elkins' family will be there.
"It's tough," Morton said. "They’re having nightmares. the youngest doesn't understand this and what's going on. It's going to take a village to wrap around them and support them," Morton said.
The family is also wanting police and the media to take a better look at cases like Elkins.
"We feel that society as a whole should take these cases more seriously. whew feel that, just as there's an Amber Alert, there should be an Ashley alert," Morton said.
He said that Roseville Police were ‘excellent’ in working with the family and that Berlin consistently provided updates.
Lucido is keeping th efaith that they'll find Elkins at some point – but it may take someone else coming forward with details.
"I'm hopeful. I'm optimistic. I'd like to go ahead and tell you yes, but it's only if somebody or evidence points to where that happens. Somebody may cooperate in that investigation. Sometimes it takes a little bit," Lucido said.
Loved ones hold vigil for Ashley Elkins
Ashley Elkins has been missing since Jan. 2 from Warren. Her loved ones gathered together for awareness and in hopes of closure.
Ex-boyfriend charged in Elkins' disappearance
The backstory:
Booker was initially arrested and charged with lying to police after police searched his Roseville apartment.
According to authorities, Elkins' vehicle was found a few miles away from Booker's apartment. He allegedly lied about his whereabouts.
The prosecutor who appeared in court for Booker's arraignment said Booker's internet searches after Elkins disappeared suggest that he was planning to flee Michigan.
While in Flint, Booker is accused of planning to leave Michigan by looking up routes out of state.
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'Is blood traceable?': Prosecutor reveals De'Andre Booker's searches after Ashley Elkins disappeared
After his ex-girlfriend Ashley Elkins disappeared, De'Andre Booker allegedly fled to Flint, where he searched for the fastest routes to Ohio.
His research also included what to do while on the run, as well as how to beat a polygraph test, and if blood is traceable, the prosecution said.
Additionally, he allegedly looked up how to delete his Google search history.
The prosecution argued that these searches suggest that Booker would flee if released on bond. His bond was set at $250,000 cash/surety. Now the murder charge has upped that to no bond.
Who is De'Andre Booker?
Booker grew up in Southeast Michigan, and has lived at an apartment in the area of Gratiot and Frazho in Roseville for the last five years, Lang said.
According to information presented in court, Booker is currently unemployed and has been for about a year. Previously, he worked as a certified nursing assistant in Ann Arbor, Lang said.
Booker previously served in the United States Army but was removed from the military with a less than honorable discharge after going AWOL in 2017. This happened after he was charged the year before with several crimes while serving, including larceny and possessing fake identification documents.
Despite the charges brought against him in the military, both his attorney and the prosecution said they have no record of him having a criminal history.
Ashley Elkins search
What we don't know:
After seizing a dumpster from the Roseville apartment complex where Booker lives, investigators headed north to Pine Tree Acres in Lenox Township.
Elkins' family has been suspicious of Booker since she disappeared, and have said they believe he threw her away.
"Her mother has said numerous times, ‘He threw her out with the trash,’" her uncle, Maurice Morton, said. "That's disheartening."
Though a body was not found, it isn't clear if any other evidence was uncovered during the landfill search.
The Source: FOX 2 was in the courtroom for the arraignment of Booker and the press conference with the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office.