The recent arrest of a Louisiana man in connection with his estranged wife's murder has rocked residents of Tangipahoa Parish.
Authorities on Monday took David Hernandez, 49, into custody on charges of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, according to a Tuesday press release from the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office.
On March 21, while responding to a medical emergency around 9 p.m. at a residence on Meadow Wood Drive in Ponchatoula, officers found David's estranged 45-year-old wife, Lisa Hernandez, "lying between her bed and a dresser, covered in blood."
Lisa's 24-year-old daughter reportedly called authorities after finding her mother unresponsive, FOX 8 reported.
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A homicide investigation ensued, and investigators learned that after a year of separation, David Hernandez allegedly began stalking his estranged wife and "would randomly show up at her place of work," the sheriff's office stated in the press release.
"Recently, David even sent Lisa a bouquet of flowers containing lilies, also known as the ‘death flower' … which she was highly allergic to. Additionally, detectives recovered a tracking device from Lisa’s vehicle, which has also been linked to David," the sheriff's office said.
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Officials believe David "staged a burglary" at Lisa's residence, used items in her home to kill her and then discarded those items "into Lake Pontchartrain."
Detectives were able to locate and recover those items during their investigation.
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Autopsy results for Lisa Hernandez are pending, though officials told FOX 8 that it appeared Lisa had been beaten with both blunt and sharp objects.
An obituary for Lisa states that she was "a loving and compassionate mother of three girls."
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"Lisa was employed by St. Tammany Pediatrics where she loved working with young children," the obituary states. "Besides spending quality time with her girls, Lisa was an avid reader and one of her favorite book series was Harry Potter. She would visit Universal Studios every chance she could, spending hours at the Harry Potter themed areas. She also enjoyed visiting Disney World."
Lisa's murder has left Tangipahoa Parish residents shocked.
"You don’t see that so much in a sleepy little town like this," Ponchatoula resident Steve McIain told FOX 8.
Another local told the outlet that "this world has just gone crazy."
