Marc A. Bakambia, 28, is being held in the Dakota County jail on $1.5 million bail for allegedly strangling to death his girlfriend, 24-year-old Dorothy Ann Reed, on or about Aug. 9 or 10.

Hewas charged in Dakota County District Court with second-degree intentional murder.

In the early morning hours of Aug. 6, four days before Reed's death, Bakambia was arrested and charged with domestic abuse and interfering with a 911 call after he allegedly assaulted her and dragged her out of a car by her hair.

Reed told her mother she "feared for her life" and that she was so afraid that she "pretended like she was dead, but she was getting weak," the criminal complaint said.

Still, Reed asked a friend for money so she could help the defendant post $500 bail. A friend told police that she believed Reed picked up Bakambia when he was released from jail on Aug. 8.

On Aug. 10, Reed's mother tried numerous times to call her on her cellphone. The mother then went to her daughter's apartment. Reed's car wasn't in the parking lot, and no one answered the door. But the door was unlocked. The mother found Reed dead on her bed.

Bakambia was arrested Aug. 13 for violating the no-contact order after police learned that he had met Reed at the West St. Paul Wal-Mart on Aug. 9. He had three of the victim's credit/debit cards with him but claimed he hadn't seen Reed since Aug. 6. He changed his story about where he'd been several times.

Pat Pheifer