'It could have been me:' Ex of murder suspect Mark Randle suffered abuse years before his girlfriend went missing in Fairfield
FAIRFIELD -- A Fairfield man believed by police to have killed his missing girlfriend was arrested on Thursday night in Sacramento.
Mark Randle, 44, was taken into custody on two arrest warrants.
The first was on charges of murder and torture related to the disappearance of his former girlfriend Erica Brown. She was last seen at the couple's Fairfield home on Aug. 20.
The second arrest warrant was for violation of his parole.
Fairfield Police said Thursday that while have not yet found Brown's body they have reason to believe she was killed.
"Detectives from the Fairfield Police Department have been passionately working around the clock to locate Ms. Brown... information provided and gathered by detectives leads us to believe Ms. Brown is no longer alive."
Randle has been on the run for two weeks. Fairfield Police first announced they were searching for him in connection to Brown's presumed death on Aug. 31.
The news of his arrest Thursday, Sept. 14 came with a tidal wave of emotions for Monica Roberts.
She is also a former girlfriend of Randle's and shares a 5-year-old son with him.
"I was checking for updates every few hours, every day for two weeks," said Roberts, fearful in some way he would find her.
She sat down with CBS13 to share her story for the first time of overcoming abuse and what might have been.
"It could have been me."
Monica Roberts smiled ear-to-ear as she pushed her young son on the swing at a community park while her other 3-year-old daughter screamed with joy nearby.
For the mother of five total children, the freedom Roberts feels today comes only after fighting an incredibly hard, uphill battle.
She says she had to win her life back from the grips of an emotionally and physically abusive relationship with Mark Randle.
"Every time I'd try to get away he was like no, you are going to take this," said Roberts through tears, describing in detail the punches, kicks, strikes and more she endured.
She says her young children on several occasions witnessed the abuse that was often brazen and even in public.
"He started to realize he was losing control of me. And when an abuser realizes they are losing control they take desperate measures," said Roberts.
Their relationship spanned off-and-on from 2014 to 2020. Their son was born in 2018.
After a final beating it was a passionate plea from Roberts' mother that convinced her to walk away.
"Her exact words were, 'I'm scared if you don't leave him the Sheriff's gonna come to my house and tell me you are dead," said Roberts.
"She was afraid he was going to kill you?" asked CBS13's Ashley Sharp.
"Yeah... yeah," Roberts said, choking back tears.
She had long feared escalation and that one day Randle would take it too far.
When she heard the news that Erica Brown went missing from her shared home with Randle just three years after Roberts ended her own relationship with Randle, she broke down into tears.
"It was very triggering, extremely triggering," said Roberts. "It brought up everything that I went through with him. I just replayed my moms words in my head... It could have been me."
Roberts knows when she walked away from Randle and secured a restraining order, for her, it was a new beginning.
She never expected that years later, after moving on to a new relationship, he would ultimately be accused of ending a life.
Hope and healing
Roberts, at one time suicidal, has dug herself from the grave of depression and despair through self reflection, that at times, has been as tough to handle as the abuse itself.
"It's hard to do the work. You have to face your own demons. You have to unpack a lot of stuff and who wants to do that? But the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and hoping for a different outcome," said Roberts.
Through therapy she has found herself living life with new perspective.
However, she does not want to bury her past. She hopes the lessons she has learned and admittedly, mistakes she has made, will make a difference.
She says she ignored the subtle and even the glaring red flags in her relationship with Randle.
"He's very charismatic. He makes you feel like the one and only queen. Then he gets you to where he wants you, right. It's the abusers' cycle," said Roberts. "If you see those red flags you have to go. You have to go. This is how detrimental it can be."
Her message to anyone who will listen is to leave after the first sign of verbal or physical abuse. It's something she wishes she could rewind the clock and do herself.
If not only for herself, for her five children.
"When you start to see that in your relationship, it is not going to get better," said Roberts. "Run away. Don't walk. You run."
What's next
Randle is behind bars in Solano County with no bail facing charges of murder, torture and violating parole. He is expected to be arraigned on Monday, Sept. 18.
Fairfield Police told CBS13 it is likely they will be able to share more details in their investigation surrounding Brown's disappearance next week.
"We extend our deepest condolences to Erica's family and friends during this difficult time and are committed to bringing Mark Randle to justice. Because of the ongoing investigation no further information will be released at this time," Fairfield Police said in a statement.