Police: Woman Charged with Domestic Murder after Strangling Middletown Woman to Death

A 33-year old area woman is facing a charge of second-degree murder after she allegedly strangled another woman to death in a Jean Street apartment Tuesday morning.

Middletown Police Chief Anthony M. Pesare said that Melissa Sue Anne Castle, 33, of no permanent address, admitted to strangling the victim after an argument.

Officers arrived to find the victim, identified as Rachael S. Kilroy, 34, of 50 Jean St., dead on the second floor.

Castle told police that she got involved in an argument that “led to a violent encounter,” police said, and Castle “was taken into custody and was cooperative.”

The exact cause of death will be determined by the state Medical Examiner, police said, and the case is being investigated by the Middletown Police Department with help from Special Assistant Attorney General Roger Demers, Pesare said.

Castle appeared in Newport District Court on Monday for arraignment.

Castle reportedly told police ”I choked her. She’s dead.”

Court records show Castle has had numerous run-ins with police over the years, most recently being arrested by Cranston Police in May for felony larceny. She was due to appear in court on Sept. 3 for that charge.

At the time of her arrest Tuesday, Castle was on probation after pleading no contest to charges of driving a motor vehicle without the consent of the owner levied by Portsmouth police in February.

She was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to obtain substance abuse counseling and enroll in a mental health program after her June plea.

At an afternoon press conference, Pesare said Kilroy’s death was “the tragic outcome of domestic violence.”

On the murder charge, Castle was ordered held without bail.

This story was first posted at 12:50 p.m. and updated at 3 p.m. and again at 3:42 p.m.