A woman found dead inside a Berwyn Heights, Md., over the weekend knew her killer, police said, and may have feared for her safety.
Police performing a welfare check at a home on 57th Avenue about 3:30 p.m. Sunday found 36-year-old Amber Schinault dead in the basement.
“Once they got here, they had to force entry in to the home, and they discovered the victim in the basement suffering from lacerations to her neck,” Prince George’s County police Sgt. Sonya Rorls said.
After developing 37-year-old Andrew Kugler as a suspect, police spotted him Monday morning and followed him to the College Park Metro Station. When he got out of his car, his wrists had been slit, police said.
Kugler was taken to an area hospital where officers are guarding him until he’s well enough to go to jail.
Kugler was described as Schinault’s ex-boyfriend. It’s unknown if she let him in to the house or if he got in another way.
Kugler was arrested for allegedly assaulting Schinault in June, a dispute in which she jumped on his car and severed her finger when it became caught in the wiper blades. She obtained a protective order against him after that incident.
Schinault’s death was the first homicide in Berwyn Heights in 21 years, officials said.
“This town is very safe and wonderful community,” Berwyn Heights Police Chief Kenneth Antolik said. “This is an isolated case, and usually a situation like this does not occur in Berwyn Heights.”
