GRAPHIC: State won’t seek death for man charged in Charlotte woman’s gruesome murder

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The state will not seek the death penalty for the man charged in connection with a grisly murder in east Charlotte back in April.

Court officials said that was the announcement made during a Thursday hearing for Miguel Gonzales-Rasalas, 36, who is charged with first-degree murder, theft of a motor vehicle, and destroying remains/concealing a death.

The defendant did not appear for Thursday’s hearing. His next court date is set for July 27, according to court officials.

Gonzales-Rasalas’ charges stem from the death of Laura Miller, 35, whose body was found surrounded by three crosses made from pieces of a broken table found in an east Charlotte apartment.

Police arrived at the apartment and found a gruesome scene, according to the prosecutor.

Miller’s ankles were bound by a cable and there were multiple wires wrapped around her neck. She also suffered from a laceration starting at her neck and running to her belly button, the prosecutor said during an earlier court hearing.

She also had extensive damage to her face and head ‘to the point it was unrecognizable,’ the prosecutor told the judge.

Police believe the man and the victim knew each other and that it was not a random incident.

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