HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a 28-year-old man who deputies say was arrested in connection with the death of 56-year-old Heather Asendorf on Hollywood Beach late last year.
Brandon Ward McCray, who was taken into custody on Jan. 5 on charges of sexual battery, kidnapping, battery and battery by strangulation, is now facing a first-degree murder charge, according to court records obtained by Local 10 News on Tuesday.
Hollywood police said a passerby discovered Asendorf’s body on the sand near Cleveland Street around 7 a.m. on Dec. 26.
First responders pronounced her dead at the scene, and detectives later determined foul play was involved.
Investigators said Asendorf, a Pennsylvania resident, was known to frequent the Hollywood Beach area.
Authorities did not release details about what connected McCray to the case.
His arrest warrant had been listed as sealed on the Broward Clerk of Courts website. He was taken into custody at his home in the 1200 block of North 17th Court by Hollywood police and U.S. Marshals.
He remained behind bars without bond at the Broward Main Jail as of Tuesday afternoon.
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