Phoenix police ID victim shot for 'not believing in God'
PHOENIX (AP) -- Phoenix police have identified the victim in a killing in which the suspect says she believed the dead woman was a shrine from God.
Authorities on Thursday say the body of 20-year-old Crystal Hillman was found with a single gunshot wound to the head inside a Phoenix apartment.
Officers were called to the home Saturday night about a possibly deceased female.
They met with 39-year-old Anitra Braxton, who initially said she was alone.
But police found Hillman on a sofa covered with a towel.
Braxton then told police the victim had been shot in the eye Christmas Eve for not believing in God.
Braxton remains jailed for first-degree murder.
Family members say she suffers from mental illness.
It was not known if Braxton had an attorney.