Gruesome New Details Emerge In Fatal Beating Of Alabama College Student

The family of an Alabama woman, who was fatally beaten by her boyfriend late last month, is mourning her sudden death, according to reports.

Madison Shea Pilkington, 25, was found dead in her apartment on Saturday afternoon in Hoover, Alabama. She’d been beaten to death and was found with a bag covering her face, according to newly released court records, AL.com reported. She died from blunt force trauma.

On Jan. 29, authorities responded to Pilkington's apartment complex around 4 a.m. and discovered the 25-year-old’s body, according to a police press release. A family member, who was concerned for her well-being, had initially made the discovery and reported her death to law enforcement. A day earlier, Pilkington reportedly hadn't shown up to her job at Baumhower's Victory Grille in Vestavia Hills.

“She was beautiful both inside and out,’’ her aunt, Dana Armstrong, told the outlet. “She was loved by everyone who knew her.”

Law enforcement now suspects Pilkington's killing is linked to domestic violence.

Cortez Lenard Warren, Pilkington’s boyfriend, was later arrested in her death following a police pursuit with multiple law enforcement agencies, according to the Hoover Police Department. A Fultondale police officer suffered a concussion in the incident after colliding with a motorist during the police chase. 

The 32-year-old been charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence, and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Pilkington, an aspiring graphic designer, graduated from Springville High School in 2015, according to her obituary. Family said Pilkington and Warren had been dating for under a year, according to AL.com. She was originally from Birmingham.

“It’s been such a shock,’’ Armstrong also said. 

Her family has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover funeral expenses for the young woman. The campaign has so far raised $13,975. A funeral was planned for the Hoover woman on Feb. 7 in Trussville, Alabama.

"We’re devastated and we want people to keep us in their prayers,’’ Pilkington’s aunt added.

Warren is being held at a Jefferson County detention facility on a $262,000 bond, according to online jail records obtained by Oxygen.com. 

Warren's next court date is set for April 8, according to the Jefferson County Clerk's Office. He hasn't yet entered a plea on his behalf. His public defender, Paul McDaniel, wasn't immediately available for comment regarding the open case.

Warren appears to have a lengthy arrest record involving past domestic violence altercations. Additional court records show the Alabama man was arrested in 2016 for allegedly launching a physical attack on a different woman, according to AL.com. He was accused of strangling her, jamming his fist into the woman's mouth, and damaging her phone so she couldn't alert anyone she was in danger. A grand jury ultimately neglected to indict Warren on the strangulation and suffocation charges.

Warren is from the Jefferson County area and appears to have been employed by a number of local restaurants, according to his Facebook profile.

Hoover Police Department declined to comment on the ongoing investigation when contacted by Oxygen.com earlier this week.