PHOENIX — A Phoenix man told detectives he accidentally shot a woman in his apartment, carried her body to a dumpster, then went to work, according to court documents.
Police booked Nathaniel Brown Jr., 41, on suspicion of second-degree murder and concealment of a dead body after finding Gabrielle Hill, 34, in a dumpster at his apartment complex in Phoenix near 57th Avenue and Thomas Road, Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Chris Berrelleza said.
The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner listed Hill's manner of death as undetermined as of Oct. 20. The office's website said its findings are preliminary until a medical examiner's report is final.
Brown initially told coworkers the woman shot herself but later told detectives he grabbed the gun and accidentally shot her, court documents said.
Asked why he did not seek medical help when he talked to his coworkers, Brown told detectives he feared being accused of shooting her, according to court documents.
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What Brown told investigators
Brown told detectives he met Hill at a Chinese restaurant near 51st Avenue and McDowell Road in Glendale on Oct. 16 and invited her to his apartment, documents said.
A gun was on the couch by his head while they had sex, Brown said. Brown described the gun as unloaded and without a magazine, then said he grabbed it and accidentally shot Hill, court documents said.
Brown told detectives he panicked, passed out and woke around 3 a.m., according to court documents. He said he contacted coworkers and carried Hill’s body, wrapped in blankets, to the dumpster before leaving for work on Oct. 17.
Two people Brown contacted after the incident described receiving calls or attempted calls from Brown shortly after 3 a.m., court documents said. One told investigators Brown initially said Hill shot herself then gave an account in which the gun fired as he tried to take it from her.
Brown told detectives he initially did not seek medical help because he had blacked out, according to court documents.
Police find blood trail and gun
Glendale officers responded just after 7:15 a.m. Oct. 17 to a report of a man talking about disposing of a woman’s body, Berrelleza said.
Officers detained Brown at his workplace in Glendale, where they observed apparent blood on his clothing and hands, according to court documents.
Phoenix officers followed a blood trail from Brown’s apartment toward a dumpster, where they found Hill’s body inside with signs of head trauma, court documents said.
Investigators searching the apartment found what looked like blood in the living room and on the couch, a casing on a table and cartridges in a bedroom and laundry basket, according to court documents.
Brown told investigators he placed the gun beneath his kitchen sink. Detectives had to crawl into the cabinet to find it hidden under a compartment, court documents said.
A Maricopa County Superior Court release order set Brown's bond at $1 million cash citing he is "danger to the community and flight risk."
Brown was due back in court Oct. 23, the order said.
