Mississippi Woman Arrested, Charged in Silver Spring Man's Murder

A Mississippi woman was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of Eric Somuah, of Silver Spring, according to a Montgomery County Police Department statement.

Katrina Renee Ben, 35, of Silver Creek, MS, was linked to the June 2012 murder of Somuah when police found a partially disassembled gun on Interstate 495 near Colesville Road. The weapon was discovered the day after police found Somuah dead in his apartment in the 1100 block of East-West Highway in Silver Spring with a gunshot wound in his head, according to the police statement.

Police say that a shell casing found in Somuah's apartment had rifling characteristics—the pattern of grooves imparted to the bullet and shell when a bullet is fired by a gun—consistent with the make and model of the gun found on I-495.

Investigators also found that the make, model and serial number of a gun purchased by Ben at a pawn shop in 2004 matched those of the recovered gun.

Police originally were dispatched to Somuah's apartment on June 6, 2012, after hearing from one of Somuah's family members that Somuah had not been to work and could not be reached.

Police said that Somuah's apartment was locked and that there were no visible signs of a forced entry. Ben was the last person known to have been with Somuah in his apartment before his death. During a police interview, Ben told detectives that she was Somuah's neighbor and was romantically involved with him, according to the police statement.

Ben's arrest warrant, charging her with first-degree murder, was issued on June 19, 2013, and she was arrested two days later at her Silver Creek residence.