By Amada Caba
EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y.– Onondaga County Sheriff Eugene Conway gave a press conference Wednesday morning addressing the death of a Syracuse woman. Keith Lobdell, 58, has been charged with stabbing Rena Tindell, 61, to death. Her body was found early Tuesday morning outside a Motel 6 hotel in East Syracuse. Lobdell is facing multiple charges including second degree murder.
According to the statements given by Sheriff Conway, the victim and the suspect have known each other for years and this is not Lobdell’s first encounter with the law. A detailed account on cnycentral.com reveals that the suspect was charged with domestic violence on May 12th of this year. He was accused of beating and sexually assaulting her throughout the night.
On May 23th, Lobdell was arrested for domestic violence charges for a second time. This time the suspect struck Tindell with a baseball bat to the head and strangled her with a seat belt and his hands. He was immediately arrested but was released on November 3rd. The release was issued because Tindell paid for his $200,00 bail bond.
Security videos show that Tindell drove to meet Lobdell at the motel he was staying at. After fifteen minutes of talking, Lobdell stabbed her and then drove away in her car. “I don’t think, unfortunately, this is unique in these kinds of situations where domestic violence is involved,” Sheriff Conway said. He advises victims of domestic violence to seek help from authorities.