CECIL COUNTY MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER OF GIRLFRIEND

(North East, MD) – After consultation with the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office, Maryland State Police homicide investigators have charged a man with murder in connection with the assault on his girlfriend that resulted in her death this morning.

The accused is identified as David A. Barton, 23, of the unit-block of Belvue Lane, North East, Md. He is charged with second degree murder, manslaughter, first degree assault and second degree assault. He will appear before a court commissioner for a bond hearing later tonight.

The victim is identified as Tracy M. Weichert, 23, who was Barton’s girlfriend and lived with him in North East. Weichert died this morning at Christiana Hospital in Delaware.

Maryland State Police at the North East Barracks were called shortly before 6:00 a.m. today by a nurse at Christiana Hospital who said Weichert was in critical condition and may have been the victim of an assault. The nurse said Weichert had been transferred to Christiana from Union Hospital in Elkton last night at about 11:00 p.m.

State Police investigators from the North East Barracks and the Homicide Unit responded to Christiana Hospital and to the victim’s residence. Investigators found Barton at home and asked him to come to the barracks which he did.

The preliminary investigation indicates that sometime between Friday, April 23rd and Sunday, April 25th, the accused and the victim became involved in an altercation at their home, during which the accused assaulted the victim with his hand and/or fist. The accused took the victim to Union Hospital at about 6:00 p.m. yesterday after she complained of abdominal pain.

Investigators determined the accused and victim had been in a relationship for about six years. They had no children. There was no open protective order or documented history of abuse found by investigators at this point in the investigation. The accused is not employed at this time.

The victim’s body has been transported to the medical examiner’s office in Wilmington, Delaware for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Investigators from the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit, with assistance from investigators in the North East Barracks Criminal Investigation Section, are continuing the investigation.