On Sept. 13, 2016, a woman was killed by her ex-husband in a brutal attack that left her East New York community in a state of shock. According to the New York Daily News, Karen Ashley’s estranged spouse, Beresford Ashley, “jumped into the back” of the Brooklyn nurse’s car and repeatedly stabbed the 45-year-old as she sat in the driver’s seat.
Now, during a court testimony on Monday (Nov. 20), Karen Ashley’s friend, Diane Russell, believes the murder stemmed from a breakup text that was sent to the suspect. Russell, 48, recalled that day she last spoke to her, and said she sensed something terrible was about to happen.
“I could hear it in her voice that she was trembling and scared,” Russell said. “He felt disrespected because she broke up with him over text and she needs to break up with him in person.”
Russell previously shared that she saw signs of domestic violence but she didn’t think Beresford Ashley “would go that far. Every time he would come, he’d beg. So she always tried to give him a second chance.”
The suspect faces 25 years to life in prison.