A 20-year-old Massachusetts man charged in April with assault and battery after his 17-year-old girlfriend was found dead in his home has now been charged with murder.

Navaeh Goddard had been reported missing from Providence, Rhode Island, in April 2022, as CrimeOnline previously reported. Police were called to a home in Stow, Massachusetts, on April 5, where Shane Curry initially denied them entry and kept them outside for about two hours.

When he finally let them in, they found Goddard dead.

Curry was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for an evaluation. He was charged with assault and battery on a household or family member and assault and battery causing serious bodily injury.

He was arraigned on the murder charge this week and ordered held without bail, WBTS reported. Investigators say Goddard was stabbed to death.

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[Featured image: Nevaeh Goddard/National Center for Missing and Exploited Children]