Bridgeport man, apprehended near Canadian border, had history of domestic violence toward girlfriend he was charged with killing

A Bridgeport man who was apprehended near the Canadian border in Vermont last week and charged with killing his girlfriend had a history of domestic violence toward the woman, arrest records show.

Corey Ramos, 30, was charged with murder when city police detectives brought him back to Connecticut on Friday. Initially wanted for violating a protective order, Ramos was detained by Vermont State Police and federal authorities, who heard Ramos confess to assaulting his girlfriend, Jennifer Brelsford, according to a warrant for his arrest.

Brelsford, who had a young child with Ramos, was found dead after a relative asked city police to conduct a welfare check at her Goddard Avenue home. Relatives told police that Brelsford had been the victim of domestic violence at the hands of Ramos, according to the warrant.

The relatives told investigators that Brelsford and Ramos had been in a relationship since 2012 and that there was an active protective order barring Ramos from contacting Brelsford.

Witnesses said they had heard the couple argue in the past, and again on Oct. 18, when police said that Brelsford was killed. One witness told investigators that they heard Ramos threaten to kill Brelsford and the couple’s child in the past, the warrant reads.

Another witness said she saw Brelsford and Ramos together walking toward the Goddard Avenue home about 2 p.m. on Oct. 18, which coincides with the time Brelsford’s mother said she lost contact with her daughter.

Brelsford’s mother, who asked police to go to the home, had spoken to her daughter twice on Oct. 18 -- at about 11:50 a.m. and 2 p.m. -- but she could not reach her later in the day, which she said was alarming since her daughter always responds, the warrant reads.

Brelsford was found in the home with a purse around her neck and a shirt covered in blood. An autopsy revealed she died from both compression and stab wounds to the neck, the warrant reads.

Investigators quickly determined that Ramos was a person of interest in the case and broadcast his information to the remainder of the department and surrounding law enforcement agencies. A police official learned that he may have have fled to a relative’s home in Vermont and contacted authorities there, the warrant reads.

Ramos was stopped by state and federal authorities in Vermont, and in a taped interview said that he was arguing with Brelsford that day, and fearing that she would go and scream to the neighbors, he put his arm around her neck to stop her, according to the warrant. Ramos went on to tell the Vermont State Police that he had a sharp object in his hand when he was doing this and it cut her.

With this information, detectives in Bridgeport applied for an arrest warrant charging Ramos with murder in connection with Brelsford’s death. Officials said he waived his right to fight extradition in Vermont and was returned to the city on Friday.

“The capture of Ramos was a collaborative effort between Bridgeport detectives, members of the Vermont State Police, United States Border Patrol agents and officers with United States Customs and Border Protection," the Bridgeport Police Department said in a written statement. “Bridgeport Police wishes to extend our gratitude to all who were involved in the capture of Ramos and expresses our condolences to the Brelsford family.”

Brelsford remains in custody after appearing before a judge Monday in Bridgeport.

Nicholas Rondinone can be reached at nrondinone@courant.com.

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