Robert Ralph Russell, Jr.
UPDATE: 4/20/2020: According to court documents, on March 23, 2020 at approximately 7:00 p.m., police made contact with victim Rachel Rae Africa at her residence in Waldorf.
She said that her ex-boyfriend, Robert Ralph Russell Jr., tried to kill her the night before.
The victim stated she went to go visit Russell at the Super 8 Motel located at 3550 Crain Highway in Waldorf, in Room 304 on March 22, 2020.
Sometime in the early evening hours, Russell stated he wanted to die and swallowed a bottle of pills. The victim aided him by helping him vomit the pills. She then tried to call 911 and the defendant destroyed the screen on her iPhone, making it unusable. The defendant then tried to hang himself with his belt and the victim pulled the belt off of the him, angering him.
After he punched her he bound her feet and hands behind her while she was on the bed and she started to scream. He stuffed a sock into her mouth and pushed it down her throat. He then strangled her with a ten foot phone charging cord. The victim said he was behind her, on the bed, pulling the cord tight around her neck. While strangling her he stated that they were both going to die tonight. The victim stated she thought she was going to die.
The victim was able to pull the cord away from her neck and she said the defendant suddenly stopped and said he could not believe he just tried to kill her. The victim said she wanted to leave and he told her to lie down on the bed. He then pushed her down and told her to lay with him. She tried to get up and leave two more times and Russell pushed her down each time and began to get angry again. The victim said she remained next to Russell until the morning, fearful he would harm her further.
The victim was still wearing the sweatshirt she had on during the assault. Officers observed blood on the shirt around her neck and on the shoulder,and observed bruises to her head, a cut to her left eye, and her lip was split in two places. The corner of her mouth was still swollen and also cut on the inside of her mouth. The victim’s neck had a red ligature mark still remaining. The victim said her entire body hurt and her throat hurt when she swallowed.
After the victim left the hotel and got home she discovered that $9,065 worth of her jewelry, and $200 in cash was missing from her purse. Russell was the only other person in the hotel room and her property was in her purse. She believes he took the items from her purse while she was sleeping.
The victim and defendant were previously in an intimate relationship for a year and do not reside together. The victim stated the suspect had been using crack cocaine and alcohol the entire day and night.
The charging documents note the suspect was not located at the Super 8 Motel and his current whereabouts were unknown at the time.
Russell was arrested on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, for False Imprisonment, Second Degree Assault, Theft: $100 to under $1,500, and Theft: $1,500 to Under $25,000., and was held on a no bond status. However, he was then released within 24 hours on his personal recognizance on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.
On March 28 at 1:37 p.m., officers responded to the Super 8 motel in the 3500 block of Crain Highway in Waldorf, for the report of a death investigation.
A preliminary investigation revealed a motel employee entered the room to check on the occupants who were scheduled to check out earlier in the day. Upon entering the room, a man and a woman were found deceased.
The male was later identified as Robert Ralph Russell, Jr., 47, of King George, VA. The woman was identified as Rachel Rae Africa, 39, of Waldorf.
An autopsy was performed on March 29 at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. Africa’s death was ruled a homicide and Russell’s death was ruled a suicide.
Detectives are working to establish a motive; however, there was recent history of domestic violence in which Russell was charged with assaulting Africa on March 23. He was arrested but released on personal recognizance on March 25.
Russell was arrested on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, for False Imprisonment, Second Degree Assault, Theft: $100 to under $1,500, and Theft: $1,500 to Under $25,000., and was held on a no bond status, he was released within 24 hours on his personal recognizance on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call Detective J. Long at (301) 609-6502.
Updates will be provided when they become available.
Robert Ralph Russell, Jr.
