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Old 09-25-2004, 04:14 PM
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"I Stuffed Her Body Into My Suitcase, But I Didn't Kill Her"

Man Denies Killing Girlfriend

He said he carried her body around in suitcase to care for it

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Mark Edward Thomas denied killing his 18-year-old girlfriend to police, but admitted to stuffing her body in a suitcase and hauling it from one Ontario motel to another, according to police reports.
Although detectives found pictures suggesting Thomas may have severely choked 18-year-old Briele Johnson in the past, he steadfastly denied ever harming her, and said he packed her body in the suitcase because he wanted to care for her corpse, according to the documents.

He told police he found Johnson unconscious and "cared for her that night, called her his baby and wanted to care for the body, so he put it in the suitcase and eventually got a ride to the Motel 6 in Ontario,' according to police reports.

Thomas, 23, pleaded not guilty on Friday to murder, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon in West Valley Superior Court.

Police arrested him Tuesday night at the Motel 6 at 1560 E. Fourth St. after a woman reported he stabbed her and stole her purse. When officers entered his room they found Johnson's naked body curled up inside the large, light brown suitcase. Her body showed signs of strangulation, according to police reports.

Thomas appeared for his arraignment in West Valley Superior Court on Friday wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and shackles. He stayed quiet during most of the hearing, speaking only once to tell Judge John Pacheco he couldn't afford to hire a lawyer.

Pacheco appointed the Public Defender's Office to represent him, set his bail at $5 million and ordered him to return to court Thursday for a pre-trial hearing.

According to police reports filed in support of Thomas' arrest warrant, detectives found pictures Perris resident Johnson in a backpack at the Motel 6 that depicted her with red or swollen eyes.

Subsequent interviews of both Johnson's and Thomas' families revealed that Johnson confided in the past that Thomas had choked her unconscious during a sex act, causing her eyes to become hemorrhaged and bloody as depicted in the pictures.

During an interview with detectives after his arrest Tuesday, Thomas denied ever doing anything to harm Johnson, according to the reports.

He said he and Johnson were staying at a different Ontario motel where Johnson was prostituting herself to other men. He said he returned to the room and found her unresponsive on a bed. That's when he packed her in the suitcase and changed motels, according to the police reports.

The woman's body was wrapped in a trash bag and a comforter that appeared to have come from the West Coast Inn in Ontario when police found it. Also found in the suitcase with the body were various pieces of clothing, a bath mat and cosmetic items.

The San Bernardino County Coroner's Department performed an autopsy on Johnson Friday morning but declined to announce her cause of death pending toxicology and tissue tests.

Ontario police Detective Al Parra said his department is investigating Thomas' story to see whether there's any evidence to support it.

"We're looking at getting some DNA tested on her and him in an effort to eliminate or substantiate that she was with someone else,' Parra said.

Deputy District Attorney Gregory Tavill said he will wait for autopsy results and additional police reports before commenting on the case.

Deputy Public Defender Stephan Willms, who was appointed to the case Friday, said he didn't yet know enough about the case to comment.
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