Brady Oestrike shot himself in the head on July 17 as he was chased by police who were trying to arrest him for the beheading murder of Charles Oppenneer, a week previously in Wyoming, Michigan. When police searched Oestrike’s car, they found Oppenneer’s 18-year-old girlfriend, Brooke Slocum, dead in the trunk. Slocum was eight months pregnant when she died and had been declared a missing person.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Oestrike Wanted to Pay Oppenneer & Slocum For Sex
Oestrike and Oppenneer met each other on Craigslist, where Oestrike had arranged to meet Oppenneer and Brooke Slocum at a park for sex. This was the same park where Charles Oppeneer’s headless body was found on July 12. After cops made that grizzly discovery, the determined his girlfriend was Brooke Slocum. When cops were unable to find her, she was declared a missing person.
2. Cops Found Oppenneer & Oestrike’s Emails
Charles “Charlie” Oppenneer worked as a sander in Kentwood, Michigan. (Facebook)
When police found Oppenneer’s connection to Oestrike through emails, they surveilled the suspect at his home in Wyoming, Michigan. When he left in his car, it set off a police chase which ended when Oestrike stopped and committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Cops then discovered Brooke Slocum’s dead body in the trunk.
3. Oestrike Had 40 Guns & a Huge Arsenal of Weapons in his Home
Inside Oestike’s home, police found a massive arsenal of weapons, including machetes, 40 firearms, and other weapons. A friend told CNN that Oestrike was hugely interested in medieval culture and that it’s common for people in this sub-culture to collect weapons.
4. Cops Think Oestrike Held Slocum Hostage Before Murdering Her
Brooke Slocum was eight months pregnant when she was killed. (Facebook)
Police believe that Oestrike strangled Brooke Slocum. They also believe that Oestrike kept her hostage at his home prior to killing her. Inside his house, they found restraints and items that belonged to Slocum and Oppenneer.
5. Oestrike Was a Devout Christian
Oestrike’s Facebook page indicates that he is highly religious, as well as being interested in the medieval era. At one point in his life, Oestrike studied at the Montana Wilderness School of the Bible. In the “about” section of his Facebook, Oestrike says that he is an electrician.
