Brockton Woman Charged With Murder After Boyfriend Found Dismembered In Closet
BROCKTON, Mass. (CBS/AP) — A Brockton woman charged in connection with the discovery of her boyfriend's dead body in a closet made her first court appearance.
Kathryn Podgurski was arraigned Monday on a charge of murder in the death of 44-year-old Joseph Shaw.
She originally faced a charge of accessory after the fact of murder but prosecutors in court argued that she had lied about being robbed to cover it up.
The Plymouth district attorney says Shaw's body was found in his apartment Friday night after authorities got a call from a nearby motel. It's not clear if the 33-year-old Podgurski made the call.
A responding officer said "he could smell what he recognized immediately as the strong odor of a decomposing body."
Officials in court said the body was hidden, had been stabbed about 40 times, was partially dismembered, and had been dead a significant period of time. His family had reported his missing earlier last week.
Many friends and family in court Monday were overwhelmed with emotion when they learned the state in which Shaw's body was found.
District Attorney Tim Cruz said, "I think it's particularly heinous, I mean there were obviously over 40 stab wounds with loss of limbs. That's heinous and obviously, it's a very serious matter.
Podgurski had been leaving with Shaw for a few months, officials said. Before that, she was homeless.
The death was Brockton's sixth homicide of the year.
Police are still searching for a motive.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
