Pregnant Homicide Victim Found In Silver Spring Apartment Identified

SILVER SPRING, MD — Montgomery County Police detectives executing a search warrant in a Dec. 8 homicide case at a Silver Spring apartment discovered the body of a deceased pregnant woman, according to a police release.

Police identified 26-year-old Denise Middleton as the woman whose body was found last Friday in the bedroom of an apartment located at 11235 Oak Leaf Drive.

Police say that 31-year-old Torrey Damien Moore, the apartment's owner, had killed Middleton sometime last October.

Middleton's body, which was in an advanced state of decay, was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. An autopsy was performed, revealing that Middleton had been shot multiple times.

Middleton was approximately 38-weeks pregnant when she died, and the fetus, a boy, would have lived if Middleton had delivered at that time, according to the autopsy.

Detectives had obtained the search warrant as part of their investigation into the Dec. 8 fatal shooting of 61-year-old Ayalew Wondimu, who was an employee of the Dash In Convenience Store in 11100 block of New Hampshire Avenue.

Moore, who is currently being held without bound in connection with Wondimu's death, was charged with first-degree murder for Middleton, first-degree murder for the death of a viable fetus, and a crime of violence against a pregnant person.