Man Allegedly Kills Woman Hours After He’s Released From Prison: Police

David Bohart, 34, was released from the Tucson state prison complex on Nov. 19 and failed to check into a state-mandated treatment facility in Cottonwood, AZCentral reported. When he didn’t appear, a warrant was issued for his arrest. (City of Tuscon)

Just hours after a man was released from an Arizona prison, police say he allegedly killed a woman.

David Bohart, 34, was released from the Tucson state prison complex on Nov. 19 and failed to check into a state-mandated treatment facility in Cottonwood, AZCentral reported. When he didn’t appear, a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The Tucson Police Department said police and officials with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested him at a hotel on suspicion of killing Marika L. Jones, 49, the report said.

He was arrested on the warrant and suspicion of second-degree murder. Officials said he was booked into a Pima County jail on Nov. 23.

Police discovered the body of Jones at a home along with a file of Bohart’s prison records, AZCentral reported.

“While investigating the scene, officers advised detectives that an unidentified male had called 911 on Monday (two days prior) to report that he had just been released from prison and had killed his girlfriend,” said the City of Tuscon in a news release on Nov. 24.

“He did not give a real name and said he did not know the exact address where the incident occurred. Officers worked that information, but were not able to locate anything on Monday. The area given by the unidentified male was the same area of the homicide they were currently working. During a search of the residence, detectives said they located a Department of Corrections file box belonging to the suspect.

Jones’ next of kin have been notified, officials said.

“Officers from Operations Division East responded to the residence and found the home unsecure. When officers entered, they located a deceased female with obvious signs of sharp force trauma,” officials said in the release.

The Department of Corrections website said Bohart was sent to prison on Aug. 4, 2016 and was released on Nov. 19, 2018. He had served time prior to that prison stint. One was for a forgery conviction and another was for possession or use of dangerous drugs, AZCentral noted.

Anyone with information about the case are being asked to call 88-CRIME.

Violent Crime Down in 2017

In September 2018, the FBI said Americans committed fewer violent and property crimes in 2017, according to statistics. The violent crime rate—including offenses such as murder, robbery, and aggravated assault—dropped by almost one percent and is still about 4 percent above the 2014 rate. The murder rate dropped by 0.7 percent.

“After historic increases in violent crime in 2015 and 2016, we are beginning to see encouraging signs,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement at the time. “But our work is not done. While we have made progress, violent crime and drug trafficking continue to plague our communities and destroy the lives of innocent, law-abiding Americans.”

Of the estimated 17,284 murders in 2017, more than half occurred in larger cities—with populations of more than 100,000.

There are fewer than 300 such cities in the United States, and while they account for less than 30 percent of the country’s population, many of them contribute far beyond their share to national crime rates and have done so for years, even decades.

While the national murder rate inched down to 5.3 per 100,000 residents, it spiked by 15 percent in Philadelphia to a rate of more than 20 per 100,000 residents. Columbus, Ohio, saw a massive 54 percent murder rate increase, reaching nearly 16.3 per 100,000 residents.

Petr Svab contributed to this report.