Robert Strother, a 27-year-old Bronx man, has been arrested following a weeklong manhunt after the brutal murder of Princesa Encarnacion-Soto, his 21-year-old ex-girlfriend. Strother, who was taken into custody last Friday, faces a series of charges consisting of murder, manslaughter, hindering prosecution, concealment of a human corpse, and tampering with physical evidence. Encarnacion-Soto was discovered dead, having been tied up and stabbed repeatedly, in what police believe to have been a prolonged and torturous ordeal in Strother's mother's apartment in the Bronx.
At the center of the investigation is also Naida Jorge, Strother's 54-year-old mother, who stands accused of murder and manslaughter. She was charged for allegedly assisting her son by cleaning the crime scene and obstructing the investigation. According to ABC7NY, detectives became suspicious of her potential involvement after discovering traces of blood leading into her apartment and recovering a garbage bag full of bloody clothes. Jorge was remanded on July 24 following evidence indicating she tried to conceal the murder by dressing the victim in clean clothes and using bleach to cover up the bloodstains.
Strother, who was taken into custody in part due to a public tip after the NYPD released his photo, was hospitalized after his arrest for unspecified reasons. Police have not provided details regarding the circumstances that led to his medical treatment. According to reports from the New York Post, Strother, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is scheduled for another court appearance on Wednesday.
The case has brought attention to a troubling pattern of domestic abuse reports linked to the residence, with 22 prior incidents documented by police—two of which were filed by Jorge against her son. The remaining complaints were made by other women, with none involving the deceased, Encarnacion-Soto.
