A Connecticut man is behind bars, charged with murder after a 26-year-old woman he met on a dating app was found dead inside his home — and investigators say she was far from his only victim.
Cole Werhan, 28, was arrested Tuesday and charged with the murder of Janina Brooke Murphy, three months after her death on March 29. According to police, Werhan called for help that night, claiming Murphy had fallen down the stairs at his home. When officers arrived, they found her unresponsive on the living room floor, covered with a blanket. She was pronounced dead shortly before midnight.
Werhan told police that Murphy had suffered a mental health episode and thrown herself down the stairs following an argument over texts from another woman found on his phone. Investigators quickly grew suspicious when they observed a swollen hand on Werhan and discovered blood spread throughout nearly every room in the home — including the bedroom, bathroom, hallway, kitchen, staircase and driveway.
Friends and family described disturbing changes in Murphy after she moved in with Werhan. She became increasingly isolated, stopped working, and cut off contact with loved ones. One friend recalled Murphy calling her via FaceTime from inside the home, saying she had taken a large quantity of Werhan’s prescription medications.
As investigators dug deeper, a chilling pattern emerged. Werhan had been arrested three separate times in connection with alleged violence against other women he met through Bumble and Hinge dating apps.
One woman escaped by slipping out of his home at 5 a.m. while he slept. She later told police that returning to him would have meant ending up dead. Another woman said she felt too afraid to leave during an incident. A third alleged victim was slapped hard enough to fall onto a bed, after which Werhan reportedly threatened to kill her.
All three prior cases remain open alongside the murder charge.
A judge ordered Werhan held on a $5 million bond. He is due back in court on June 30.
