<\/p>\n
Carly Mailar, right, remembers Vera\u00a0Pitulic, left, as a bubbly, generous friend and a loving mother. She said she hopes people remember Pitulic for the way she lived and not how she died.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Carly Mailar<\/p>\n
A 38-year-old man was arrested in connection with his girlfriend\u2019s killing<\/a> last week after police found traces of blood, five mops and an empty bleach bottle at her last known location, his home, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained Thursday.<\/p>\n Donny Benedict was being held Thursday in the Collin County<\/a> jail with no bail set, according to jail records. He faces a murder charge<\/a>. Jail records also show a charge of assault of a family or household member by impeding breath or circulation issued by the Collin County sheriff\u2019s office.<\/p>\n According to the affidavit, Grapevine<\/a> police were dispatched July 20 to Vera Pitulic\u2019s apartment, where multiple friends told officers they hadn\u2019t seen her since she attended a pool party with Benedict two days earlier.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Pitulic\u2019s friends told officers Pitulic and Benedict had an argument<\/a> the night of the party, and he had accused her of cheating<\/a> in multiple messages sent to them. They said Benedict clearly wanted \u201cwar\u201d with Pitulic\u2019s best friend\u2019s boyfriend, the affidavit said, whom he claimed she had been seeing.<\/p>\n Ring camera footage shared by Pitulic\u2019s neighbor showed the two together at her apartment after the party about 12:23 a.m., though Benedict initially denied being with her when he spoke with detectives over the phone, the affidavit said. After seeing the video, Benedict then told officers he had been with Pitulic and gotten into an argument before parting ways and not seeing her again.<\/p>\n On July 21, Carrollton<\/a> police were dispatched to Interstate 35 after reports of a vehicle on the shoulder of the highway. \u00a0Once there, officers located a Dodge Journey and found Pitulic dead in the front passenger seat, the affidavit said.<\/p>\n More here: Crime coverage<\/a><\/p>\n Pitulic had numerous injuries consistent with assault<\/a>, according to the affidavit, and the state of her body indicated she\u2019d died well before being found on I-35.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Officers searched the Dodge and found a shattered cellphone and Pitulic\u2019s swimsuit and flip-flops from the party, which Benedict had sent them a picture of after his initial phone conversation with them. Both clothing items tested positive for the presence of blood<\/a>, the affidavit said.<\/p>\n Detectives obtained a search warrant for Pitulic\u2019s phone, and determined it traveled from the pool party to Benedict\u2019s house and remained active until about 2 a.m. on July 19, the affidavit said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Officers then executed a search warrant at Benedict\u2019s Collin County<\/a> residence, which detectives said appeared clean despite the presence of four dogs. There, they found five mops in the garage and laundry room, an empty bleach container in the dumpster and two holes in the living room wall at head height.<\/p>\n While detectives were searching the home, Benedict\u2019s ex-girlfriend arrived on scene and voluntarily agreed to be questioned. She told officers she had been in an \u201cabusive relationship\u201d with Benedict for a year and a half before the two broke up in June.<\/p>\n More here: Seeking help for domestic violence in Dallas? Here’s where to start<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n She came back to Benedict\u2019s home for the first time the night of July 20, the same night Pitulic\u2019s friends filed a missing-person report, and stayed the night. She told officers his behavior had been abnormal and noted that Benedict\u2019s vehicle had a broken window. She also saw a head-shaped hole in his wall, according to the affidavit.<\/p>\n Police said she cried heavily, and stated she \u201cbelieved he was capable\u201d of hurting Pitulic because of his temper.<\/p>\n Detectives then used a blood detection reagent, which indicated the presence of blood above and below the two holes, in the kitchen and bathroom sinks and on a bathroom floor. Based on the state of Benedict\u2019s home, police believe a large amount of blood had been cleaned up from at least two areas.<\/p>\n Based on how Pitulic was found, cellphone records and the \u201cpresumptive\u201d presence of blood in Benedict\u2019s house, investigators believe Benedict assaulted her<\/a> before leaving her body on the side of the highway.<\/p>\n Friends recall the \u2018beautiful way she lived\u2019<\/p>\n Pitulic, 41, from Serbia, was the mother of two young boys and a longtime substitute teacher. Friends remembered her as vibrant and welcoming.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Carly Mailar has known Pitulic for over a year, as the two cheered on their sons together during soccer games. She said she\u2019ll remember Pitulic\u2019s generosity, selflessness and unwavering love for her boys most.<\/p>\n Her heart is \u201cabsolutely broken\u201d for the unimaginable loss<\/a>, Mailar said, that will now be carried by her sons and remaining family. Pitulic\u2019s children are currently in Egypt with their father.<\/p>\n Condolences and memories of Pitulic have also mounted on social media in the days following her death.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lauren Ingrid, of Granbury, said in a Facebook post Pitulic was one of the most beautiful souls she had the honor of knowing. \u201cI never ever imagined we wouldn\u2019t see our dreams come true together,\u201d Ingrid wrote.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n