Arrest made in murder of pregnant woman
• Windsor police have made an arrest in the murder of a pregnant woman, laying several charges that hint at the brutality of the crime.
Matthew Brush, 26, from LaSalle, is charged with break and enter, arson causing property damage, possession of incendiary material for arson, arson with disregard for human life, first-degree murder and indecent interference with a dead body.
Residents on Carriage Lane in LaSalle, where Mr. Brush lives, had been curious about the recent police presence on their street.
“The only thing we’ve noticed is police cars the last couple days,” Mike Keczem said Wednesday night. “We noticed more this morning ... But, you know, stuff happens so you’re really not going to put a lot to it.”
“It’s definitely a surprise,” he said.
“Anything can happen anywhere, but you never think it’s going to happen close to home. So when you hear about something like that, you go ‘ wait a second, we just moved here.’”
Firefighters found the body of Cassandra Kaake, 31, on Dec. 11 after extinguishing a blaze that swept through the house at 1564 Benjamin Ave. in Windsor.
But the fire didn’t kill her. Police said she died from blood loss caused by severe trauma. She was seven months pregnant.
Seasoned detectives have said the crime scene was among the most disturbing thing they’ve seen in their careers.
Investigators seemed to have few leads. Police made the unusual and controversial move of asking people to donate their DNA to help with the case.
More than 500 people volunteered for DNA testing.
Officers went out at least twice doing large-scale canvassing in the Benjamin Avenue area and repeatedly made pleas to the public for help.
Investigators gave few details Wednesday about the arrest, saying they planned to hold a news conference Thursday morning.
Windsor and LaSalle police officers were stationed in front of the house Wednesday night. Neighbours said they had been there a couple days.
Those on Carriage Lane who know Mr. Brush well wouldn’ t talk about him Wednesday night. One man said he’d been hanging out with Mr. Brush for about a month and he seemed like a “chill” guy.