An ex-Wisconsin police officer has been charged in the deaths of two women whose bodies were found stuffed in suitcases.
According to the Associated Press, former officer Steven M. Zelich allegedly said that he did not kill 19-year-old Jenny Gamez on purpose. He claimed that her death was the result of a chocking game the two played during sex.
Gamez’s body was found in luggage dumped on a rural roadway in June; along with the body of 37-year-old Laura Simonson, also stuffed in a suitcase. Wisconsin highway department crew workers discovered them.
Zelich allegedly said that he killed each of the woman accidentally during their sexual encounters. However, on Tuesday, authorities charged him with first-degree intentional homicide in one of the cases.
The 52-year-old is also accused of keeping the women’s remains at his apartment before dumping them and has been charged with two felony counts of hiding a corpse.
During his court appearance in Kenosha County, the ex-cop’s bail was set at $2 million.