'Karma is a b—': Man used collection of charging cables to strangle ex-girlfriend after she dumped him

A North Carolina antheral volition walk the remainder of his beingness down bars for the "cold-blooded and calculated" execution of his ex-girlfriend successful Virginia.

In April, Trenton Frye, 31, was recovered blameworthy of murder successful the archetypal degree by a assemblage successful Bedford County for the decease of Katlyn Lyon Montgomery, 28, who was recovered strangled astatine her ain location successful October 2022.

On Tuesday, 24th Judicial Circuit Judge James Updike Jr. sentenced Frye to beingness successful situation — successful excess of Old Dominion sentencing guidelines.

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On Oct. 7, 2022, Montgomery was recovered unconscious successful her residence astatine the Jefferson Forest Manor Apartments successful Forest – a census-designated spot named aft the summertime location of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. First responders rushed the unfortunate to a infirmary successful adjacent Lynchburg, but she succumbed to her injuries the adjacent day.

In Montgomery's apartment, investigators recovered telltale grounds successful the signifier of telephone charging cords wrapped unneurotic successful a broad connected her bed. Search warrants obtained by Law&Crime successful the contiguous aftermath of the slaying offered penetration into the investigation.

"[P]hysicians noted linear markings accordant with being strangled connected her cervix and throat," 1 warrant reads. "Law enforcement assessed the cords appeared to beryllium the aforesaid size arsenic the linear markings recovered connected the victim's neck."

Frye was rapidly "identified arsenic a caller ex-boyfriend" by the Bedford County Sheriff's Office. In a statement, the since-condemned antheral conscionable arsenic rapidly dissembled – saying helium had not been successful Virginia precocious but, rather, had been moving successful the Tar Heel State.

Law enforcement rapidly enactment the prevarication to those claims.

"A hunt warrant of his telephone operation past revealed that helium was successful Bedford County the nighttime of the incident," a hunt warrant explains. "The operation his telephone communicated with is wrong 1 mile of the victim's address. The victim's telephone besides has a grounds of an statement via substance betwixt Trenton Frye and herself implicit their caller break-up connected the nighttime starring up to this incident."

Deputies learned Frye spent "several days" successful the Lynchburg and Bedford County areas during the clip play since the break-up and anterior to the decease of the beloved "loving" parent and "dancing queen."

The suspect was arrested astir 2 weeks aboriginal successful North Carolina and extradited backmost to Virginia. Justice moved glacially for years.

On March 31, Frye's proceedings began.

Out came the substance messages — the defendant's lies unfurled and punctuated with nasty, brutish and terse vindictiveness arsenic the antheral came to recognize the pistillate would not instrumentality him back.

"Lowlife, portion of s–," Frye texted Montgomery aft she denied his advances, prosecutors showed jurors. Another substance reads: "karma is simply a b–" arsenic Frye accuses Montgomery of "shady s—" and "toxic bs."

Then came the pleas for sympathy.

"My intelligence issues are getting retired of control," helium told his unfortunate successful different message, jurors learned. "Hurting similar I ne'er person before."

Frye took the basal successful his ain defence to reason helium was physically incapable of carrying retired the transgression the mode the authorities said it happened.

"I could not person climbed the balcony without making a sound," the suspect testified, according to a courtroom study by Roanoke-based CBS affiliate WDBJ. "I would person to beryllium a ninja of immoderate sort. To determination an entire, what she described arsenic a metallic bench, enactment it connected a factual partition that was described, past enactment it connected what looked similar a fiberglass balcony, not interruption thing and not marque a sound. How is that possible?"

This space was a permutation of a belated admittance that Frye was, successful fact, astatine the flat analyzable connected the time successful question. But, defence lawyer Joseph Sanzone argued: "There's nary grounds that shows Trenton was ever successful the apartment."

Still, determination was different grounds of Frye's stalking and obsession.

Search warrants for the defendant's Ford Explorer amusement deputies recovered respective receipts, a purple hairbrush, achromatic glasses, a car charger with 2 cords, 3 pairs of achromatic pants, and 2 achromatic shirts. Montgomery's obituary notes that purple was her "favorite color" and asked loved ones to be her ceremonial "wearing purple."

Frye besides searched for level plans of the portion wherever Montgomery lived with her girl and a roommate, prosecutors told the jury.

All the stalking, the authorities said, amounted to motive.

"His telephone information and his lies, they each interact to beryllium his guilt," Bedford County Commonwealth Attorney Wes Nance said, according to a courtroom study by The News & Advance.

In comments to Lynchburg-based ABC affiliate WSET aft the verdict, the authoritative again referenced the killer's problems with the truth.

"From my perspective, I deliberation his changeless travel of lies to instrumentality enforcement played a large role, but we besides wouldn't person been present without the travel of integer evidence," Nance said. "So, I deliberation it's a operation of those 2 things."

During the sentencing hearing, Updike explained however a idiosyncratic successful Frye's presumption would typically beryllium sentenced to 22-38 years successful prison.

The judge, however, punished the slayer acold successful excess of the sentencing guidelines – saying the woman's execution was arsenic "cold-blooded and calculated" arsenic thing helium had ever seen, according to WDBJ.

Chris Perez contributed to this report.