Man charged with feticide

Perth Phelan Earl has been indicted on charges including murder and feticide in the strangling death of Angela Burnett, the mother of his two children.

Earl, 39, allegedly strangled Burnett, 37, in her Norcross home on March 2, according to police. Burnett’s body was found in the home around 2 a.m. after a neighbor called 911 reporting a domestic dispute.

The two children Burnett shared with Earl and Burnett’s adult child with special needs were also in the home when police arrived. Earl is not the father of Burnett’s adult child.

Earl was found later that day in Elyria, Ohio, a small city close to his hometown of Oberlin.

Burnett was pregnant at the time of her death, a new indictment says. Police had not previously disclosed that information, and Earl had not initially been charged with feticide. There is no indication how far along the pregnancy was.

Earl was indicted on the feticide charge, as well as charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and aggravated stalking, on May 23.

He had been evicted from the home where he allegedly killed Burnett in 2016, and was barred from the property after their 12-year relationship ended. Burnett filed for a temporary protection order against Earl in October 2016. A judge threw the order out a week later when Burnett did not show up to a court hearing, records show.

Earl had a history of abuse toward Burnett dating back to 2008, according to police. Burnett changed the locks at her home after Earl was evicted, but he managed to get into the home four times in 2017, once throwing Burnett and causing her to hit her head on a banister, according to police. When Burnett called 911, Earl took the phone and ended the call, according to police.

Perth Earl faces charges of murder and feticide.