Suspect charged with second-degree murder after Hamilton woman found dead

Niagara police have identified and charged a suspect with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a 27-year-old woman last month.

In a press release issued Wednesday, police provided an update on the investigation into the death of Jessica Lynn St. Jules, a Hamilton resident whose body was found in a rural area of ​​Lincoln, Ontario, west of St. Catharines, on June 8 at 3:10 p.m.

A homicide investigation was launched following the discovery and police were able to determine that St. Jules was last seen getting into a vehicle at a branch of the Hamilton Public Library, in the city’s Gibson neighborhood, at approximately 4:20 a.m. on the day her body was found.

Police have not released her cause of death.

During the investigation, police reported that the male driver of the vehicle was seen on surveillance footage as detectives attempted to identify him.

On Wednesday, police announced that 20-year-old Pedro Benitez Leal of Hamilton has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of St. Jules.

It is unclear whether St. Jules and Leal knew each other.

He was being held pending a bail hearing, the results of which have not been released.

“Detectives would like to thank the media and the public for their assistance with this investigation,” police said.