67-Year-Old Woman Beat Boyfriend To Death With A Bat For 36 Hours, Police Allege

Investigators in Washington D.C. have arrested a woman for allegedly beating her boyfriend to death last week — with a metal baseball bat — over the course of 36 hours, PEOPLE confirms.

Thomasine Bennett, 67, was arrested Friday and charged with assault with intent to kill, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. But that charge was upgraded to murder once an autopsy revealed her 63-year-old boyfriend, Walter Mack Clark, died of blunt force trauma.

Bennett’s public defender could not be reached for comment. It was unclear Tuesday if she has entered a plea.

According to court papers, Clark’s bloodied body was found on the floor of a closet in Bennett’s home in D.C. The victim’s hands had been bound and he was found lying in a fetal position.

A piece of wood had been used to barricade Clark inside the room, records show. An hour later, he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

One of Clark’s relatives shared their reaction at Bennett’s arrest with WJLA, saying it “just brought back the fury that she would do something like that over whatever the case may been.”

After Clark was found, Bennett allegedly told detectives she’d smoked the street drug “love boat” — marijuana that has been soaked in embalming fluid or PCP or both — with him the night before his death.

Under questioning, she allegedly said that Clark asked her to marry him on Valentine’s Day while the two were out at a club celebrating. Court records allege she responded that she was tired of loving a man who was unfaithful — and that this answer nearly led to a physical fight.

Bennett also allegedly admitted to intermittently beating Clark with a metal baseball bat on Thursday and Friday, records show. A witness, who is not identified, confirmed seeing Bennett beating Clark on both days, according to the documents.

At one point, the witness claims to have heard Bennett call Clark a “demon.” the records state.

When the witness tried to escape the home, the records allege Bennett held them at gunpoint and struck them over the head, leaving them with a visible head injury.

A D.C. police spokesman declined to discuss Bennett’s suspected motive for allegedly attacking Clark.

Attempts to reach relatives of both Bennett and Clark were unsuccessful Tuesday.