Man charged with strangling girlfriend at Hammond motel

SHARE Man charged with strangling girlfriend at Hammond motel
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Gregory Rainer | Ramsey County sheriff’s office

A 33-year-old Minnesota man has been charged with strangling his girlfriend at a northwest Indiana motel when they were staying while visiting for a graduation party.

Gregory DeShawn Rainer, 33, and his girlfriend, 38-year-old Shannon Morrison, were visiting Hammond, Ind., from St. Paul, Minn., over the weekend for a graduation party, according to court documents and Hammond police.

They checked in to the Super 8 at 4111 Calumet Ave. in Hammond on Saturday, according to court documents.

Rainer, who suffers from schizophrenia, called his mother that night and told her, “They’re following me . . . they’re following me . . . they won’t stop,” according to court documents. He also told her he thought he had hurt Morrison.

He told her, “I don’t know why I did it, but I think Shannon is hurt. You need to see if she is OK.”

Rainer’s mother called the Super 8 to check on Morrison about 10:15 p.m., according to the affidavit.

Officers responded to the motel and along with security personnel, discovered Morrison unresponsive on a bed. An autopsy found she died of strangulation.

Ritter was arrested in St. Paul and charged with murder, according to Hammond police. He is being held there pending extradition to Indiana.

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