Report: Murder Charges Filed Against Man Arrested in Woodbury

Alberto Prece Palmer has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Brittany Clardy, whose body was found in a car at an impound lot last month, according to a release from the Anoka County Attorney's Office.

Palmer, 23, was arrested Wednesday in Woodbury after investigators tracked cell phone and Internet records connected with Clardy, 18, who had been working as a prostitute, officials said at a Thursday press conference. Palmer was her last client.

“From all the evidence in the complaint, Palmer appears to be a very dangerous man,” Tony Palumbo, Anoka County attorney, said in a statement. “While nothing we do can bring Brittany Clardy back, we can and intend to hold accountable the person who we believe took her life. It is a sad day for Brittany’s family and we will seek justice for her.”

Palmer was charged Friday, March 8. Anoka County District Court Judge Sharon Hall set unconditional bail for Palmer at $2 million. His next court appearance is scheduled for 1 p.m. April 10.

The cause of death was multiple blows to the back of her head, and Palmer told police it was from a hammer, according to the criminal complaint. They had sex at a home on Kentucky Avenue in Brooklyn Park and he choked her until she was unconscious during a “tussle” afterward, the complaint says.

At the home, police found blood soaked through the floor and a pair of pants believed to be Clardy's, according to the complaint.

Clardy’s family reported her missing on Feb. 11, and her body was found Feb. 21 in a car at a Columbia Heights impound lot.

Palmer put her body in a car and covered it with blankets, according to the complaint, and he left the car in the lot of a Brooklyn Park apartment building. She was found in the back seat of the car, the complaint says.

He is a suspect in similar incidents that occurred in Georgia, according to the complaint.

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