Monroe Man Lives With Dead Girlfriend For A Month

(WWJ) Police are trying to unlock the mystery of a Monroe County man found living in an apartment with his girlfriend about a month after they estimate she died.

David M. Hall, 49, was arraigned on a charge of concealing the death of an individual and remains in jail on a $50,000 bond.

Even after his court date, police have no explanation for why he carried on as if all was normal while his girlfriend Kandace Simmons, 56, was lying dead in the bedroom.

"He cannot give a definitive answer other than 'he panicked,'" said Monroe Police Lt. J.D. Wall. "As time went on, you would think something would have to give."

At the same time, there's nothing to suggest Simmons met foul play. Her body had no signs of trauma, police said, and family members suggested she had medical issues. Police are awaiting autopsy results to determine cause of death.

However she died, investigators say Hall was matter of fact about the situation when officers discovered the body in the bedroom. They were called to the apartment by the landlord, who wondered about the whereabouts of the female tenant.

"He had a window open and was burning a candle and was sleeping in another room (when officers got there)," Hall said.

Wall added there was no way Hall failed to know his girlfriend was dead.

"The officers said it was obvious from the smell a decaying human being was inside when they walked in," Wall said. "I've been on lots of those kinds of calls over the years, and anyone who's been deceased for awhile, it's a smell you don't forget."

Simmons and Hall lived together, for at least a decade, police say, and their relationship appears to have been tumultuous. Hall and Simmons had each called police --repeatedly -- for domestic violence assistance.

As part of the charges, Hall was also arraigned on an outstanding charge of domestic violence, third offense, with Simmons listed as the victim.

Hall faces five years in jail if he's convicted of concealing Simmon's body. A preliminary exam is set for Jan. 23.