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20-year-old William Mosley charged in Ben Davis senior's murder

Posted at 5:06 PM, Dec 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-07 20:40:41-05

INDIANAPOLIS -- Marion County prosecutors charged a 20-year-old Indianapolis man with murder in connection to the death of a Ben Davis senior in March.

An arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for William C. Mosley, 20, on one count of murder in connection with the death of 18-year-old Renia Woods.

Woods' body was found behind a dumpster March 21 in the 1400 block of Campbell Avenue on the city's east side.

MORE | Death of Ben Davis senior found near dumpster ruled homicide

At the time, her friends and family expressed disbelief about her death.

"It's like one minute she's at home and then next minute she's behind a dumpster," Woods' friend, Ariel Johnson, said. "Who in their right mind would do this to someone so beautiful and genuine? She was so sweet, once you got to know her. She didn't mess with anybody, so I don't know who would do this to her. She was just 18. Just a regular teenager."

According to a probable cause affidavit filed Wednesday, video surveillance footage showed Mosley picking Woods up from school on the day of her disappearance.

Police also found records of text messages between the two, and cell phone telemetry showed Mosley was in the area where Woods' body was later discovered. Court documents say the last message sent from Woods' phone before her death went to Mosley.

An autopsy determined Woods died of manual strangulation. DNA evidence found on her body was identified as matching Mosley's.

Marion County Jail records show Mosley has been arrested three times since 2015 for charges including auto theft, possession of marijuana and operating a vehicle without a license.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Mosley was being held at the Hancock County Jail on an unrelated charged of auto theft.