Victim Has Died Following Assault At New Falls Motel: DA

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — The victim of a suspected strangulation at New Falls Motel last week died Sunday afternoon, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday.

According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday, Jamie Beighley, 39, was pronounced dead at Jefferson Bucks Hospital at 1:51 p.m. on Sunday following severe injuries. She had been found without a pulse at the motel Thursday night and taken to the hospital, where she was found to have suffered head trauma and a possible brain bleed.

Beighley's boyfriend, 37-year-old Evan Smith of Morrisville, has now been charged with homicide. He is expected to be arraigned Wednesday for the new charge. He was previously arraigned on charges of aggravated assault, strangulation, recklessly endangering another person, simple assault, and fleeing and eluding.

As of Tuesday, Smith remains at the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of $500,000 cash bail, the DA's office said.

According to Smith's criminal complaint, as filed by Detective Dennis O'Connell of the Falls Township Police Department, Smith admitted to strangling his girlfriend of 19 years after a verbal argument escalated Thursday night.

"Things got out of hand," Falls Township Police reported Smith as saying.

Smith also told police, as filed in the complaint, that the couple had found a "meth rock" on the floor of the motel room earlier in the day, which they'd smoked together.

Detective O'Connell said that arrangements have been made for Beighley's body to be transferred to the Bucks County Coroner's Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Mary Kate Kohler and investigated by the Bucks County Detectives, and Falls Township Police Detective Dennis O’Connell.

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