Thomaz Kenon Hamilton faces murder and rape charges in the death of Isabella Mary Alexandria Stroupe.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte homicide case is moving into court after police charged a 24-year-old man in the death of his 19-year-old girlfriend at an east Charlotte apartment.
Thomaz Kenon Hamilton is accused of first-degree murder and first-degree rape in the death of Isabella Mary Alexandria Stroupe, who was found dead May 1 on Yateswood Drive. Police said the case was classified as a homicide after investigators consulted with the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office. The charges are allegations and do not amount to a conviction. Hamilton was reported held without bond, with his next court date listed for May 27.
The court case is expected to center on the difference between what Hamilton allegedly told police and what investigators say they found. Court records described by police say Hamilton reported that Stroupe had stopped breathing and later said she had a heart attack during sex. Investigators said the medical examiner found stab wounds and multiple fractured bones. They also said Stroupe would have been physically unable to consent to sex. Those findings helped lead to the rape charge in addition to the murder charge. Police have not released the full autopsy, and prosecutors have not publicly laid out all evidence they plan to use in court.
The apartment evidence gives the case its other major track. Officers responding to the 6600 block of Yateswood Drive found Stroupe unresponsive on a bed, according to police. Records described by investigators said she had minimal clothing and was tied down with tow straps. During the search, police said they found a bloodied knife wrapped in cellophane, a baseball bat and a sword. Investigators also noted blood on a mattress and clothing. Some accounts of the affidavit described broken phones inside the unit. Police have not said whether fingerprints, DNA testing, cellphone records or surveillance video have been completed. Those kinds of records often become important as a case moves from arrest to hearings.
The first responders arrived early May 1 after a call about an unresponsive woman. Charlotte Fire and MEDIC went to the apartment with CMPD officers. Stroupe was pronounced dead at the scene, and homicide detectives soon joined the investigation. Days later, CMPD said detectives had identified Hamilton as a suspect and obtained warrants. On May 5, the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team located Hamilton and arrested him without incident. He was taken to the Law Enforcement Center for questioning, then transferred to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. CMPD said Stroupe’s next of kin had been notified, and the department labeled the investigation active and ongoing.
One unanswered issue is the alleged time span. Court records described by investigators said Stroupe had been tortured over several months. Police have not said when they believe that period began, whether Stroupe was seen by others during that time or whether any prior reports were made to authorities. They have not said whether medical records, employment records, messages or witness statements will be used to establish a timeline. The phrase “several months” gives the case a wider reach than the night of the emergency call, but the public record does not yet explain how detectives traced the earlier period or what evidence supports each date.
Another issue is how the criminal charges will be handled in Mecklenburg County court. Hamilton’s first-degree murder charge could require prosecutors to prove the elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. The first-degree rape charge adds questions about force, incapacity and consent. Investigators said Stroupe could not physically consent, according to records described in reports. A judge may address bond, probable cause, discovery deadlines, attorney status and future hearings as the case proceeds. No public statement from a defense lawyer was listed in the available reports. Police also have not announced whether more charges are possible. The district attorney’s office will control the prosecution as detectives continue to gather and process evidence.
Outside the courtroom, Stroupe’s family has tried to define her life beyond the charges. Her sister, Marleigh Bailey, wrote that Stroupe loved books, fan fiction and My Little Pony. Bailey described her sister as creative and said the family was struggling to prepare a burial and memorial. “Our family was completely unprepared for this loss,” Bailey wrote. The statement did not discuss evidence or legal strategy. It focused on grief and the sudden task of planning a farewell for someone who had just entered adulthood. That family portrait now sits beside the official account of a violent death inside an apartment near Albemarle Road.
The case has also placed attention on the Hickory Grove Division, the CMPD patrol area where the apartment is located. Police did not describe any broader threat to the public. They said Hamilton was arrested without incident and that the homicide investigation remained open. The public facts so far are limited to the May 1 response, the apartment search, the medical examiner’s ruling, the May 5 arrest and the scheduled court date. Much of the case remains inside court records and investigative files that may be released only in pieces as hearings continue.
As of May 26, Hamilton remained charged in Stroupe’s death and no other arrest had been announced. The next known milestone was the May 27 court date in Mecklenburg County.
Author note: Last updated May 26, 2026.