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Man charged with murder of model arrested near Pittsburgh

Published  December 8, 2018 8:29am EST
U.S.
FOX 29 Philadelphia

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (WTXF) - A man accused of murdering a model in her Ardmore apartment will be arraigned by video from Montgomery County Prison Thursday morning following his arrest on the other side of the state.

Jonathan Wesley Harris, 30, is charged with killing Christina Carlin-Kraft in her apartment on the 100 block of Sibley Avenue last Wednesday. Investigators say Harris brutally beat the model before strangling her to death.

Harris, 30, was arrested when he stepped off a bus outside Pittsburgh on Wednesday, the same day the victim was laid to rest. He is now facing first, second, and third-degree murder charges.

Surveillance video released by police showed the pair walking together in Center City, Philadelphia on the night they met led to a tip about Harris.

Investigators say could not comment on a motive or say if the Harris and Kraft met randomly the morning she was killed.

"The victim was in Center City. The victim met him and whether it was chance meeting or something else, I can't say," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Wednesday, "We know that they came back and came to the apartment on Sibley Avenue."

Police say text messages from Harris' phone confirmed his whereabouts on the morning of Kraft's murder. According to the affidavit, Harris texted a friend at 2:39 a.m. saying "U Still up g." Harris then sent another text saying "I just met this sexy [expletive] white [expletive] I'm at her crib in Ardmore."

Christina Carlin-Kraft's body was found last week after her boyfriend called police and asked them to do a welfare check. Harris is also facing robbery charges after he allegedly stole item's from Kraft's home following her death.

Harris was just released from prison last month on a robbery conviction.