A 17-year-old Indiana girl found slain in her bedroom was sexually assaulted before she was murdered, prosecutors say.
Tara Willenborg, of Clarksville, was pronounced dead on Saturday after her fiance discovered her body early that morning in the couple's apartment, WDRB reports.
On Sunday, about a mile from the crime scene, police arrested 49-year-old Richard Hooten, a convicted sex offender with an unrelated warrant out for his arrest.
Clark County Prosecutor Steve Stewart was preparing charges for the case.
"Obviously, this girl suffered a horrible death. In addition to a murder charge, we certainly anticipate charges of rape and/or criminal deviant conduct," Stewart told the News and Tribune.
Willenborg's fiance discovered her body in their apartment. Willenberg's father told WDRB that she was a former Jeffersonville High School cross-country athlete and had just earned her GED two weeks ago.
There were no signs of a forced break-in, and some reports indicate that Willenborg and Hooten knew each other previously.
"They just had an acquaintance. I think they had just met recently," Darrell Rayborn of the Clarksville Police Department told WAVE.
Hooten also has a previous cocaine-related charge, according to WLKY. He was being held in the Clark County Jail.
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