Beloved bookworm teen found bound and killed beside bloodstained mattress after suffering months of torture

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 17:41, 25 May 2026 | Updated: 17:52, 25 May 2026 A promising young teenager was tortured for months before she was discovered bound to a blood-stained mattress and stabbed to death, police say. Isabella Stroupe, 19, was found dead inside a North Carolina apartment by officers responding to a call of an unresponsive woman on May 1. Her boyfriend, Thomaz Kenon Hamilton, has since been charged with her murder after police determined she had been abused for months before she was killed. The 24-year-old initially called 911 from a nearby gas station and reported that Stroupe had stopped breathing, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Daily Mail. First responders found Stroupe 'in a bedroom with minimal clothing,' and noted that she was 'bound with a tow strap' on a blood-stained mattress, the report stated. Hamilton told the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department he was dating Stroupe and that they lived together in that apartment. He claimed that they were having sex when Stroupe 'had a suspected heart attack,' according to the affidavit. However, investigators ruled Stroupe's death a homicide and determined she had multiple injuries, including broken and fractured bones and stab wounds. Isabella Stroupe, 19, was found bound to a blood-stained mattress and stabbed to death after suffering months of torture, police say Stroupe (left) was found dead inside a North Carolina apartment by officers responding to a call of an unresponsive woman on May 1, police said 'A search of the residence revealed a knife wrapped in cellophane with suspected blood, a baseball bat, a sword, multiple cell phones (some broken apart), clothing with suspected blood and a mattress with suspected blood,' the affidavit stated. 'Detectives were also advised that Stroupe was being tortured over a period of several months and that Stroupe would have been physically unable to provide consent.' Hamilton has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape, and is being held at the Mecklenburg County jail without bond.  His next court hearing is scheduled for June 30. Stroupe's family described her as an avid reader who loved anime, according to their GoFundMe page. 'She was a total bookworm, always reading and sharing her favorite stories with me,' the fundraiser stated, 'She loved fan fiction and My Little Pony, and her creativity brought so much joy to our family.  'Remembering her passion for books and the happiness she brought to those around her makes this loss even harder.'  Her brother, Jacob Walker, told WBTV, 'She was always talking about fantasy and the book that she was reading.'  Stroupe's family described her as an avid reader who loved anime Her boyfriend, Thomaz Kenon Hamilton, 24, has since been charged with her murder after police determined she had been abused for months before she was killed Stroupe's sister, Marleigh Bailey, added that the family knew Hamilton, but never suspected he was capable of hurting her. 'We thought she was okay. We trusted him, we knew him. He was a friend of ours for a long time,' Bailey said. 'When they told us... It is unbelievable that somebody you trust could do something like that.' Bailey added to WCNC, 'We knew him, we thought he was normal... Obviously not. For the most part, you'd never think anything like this was happening.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.