Man accused of stabbing, confining woman has died, Bloomington police say

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — The man sought by police for stabbing a woman he had confined for three days has died, authorities said Tuesday.

Brandon Richardson had shot himself in the head after a car chase Friday, Bloomington police said. He had been arrested on a preliminary charge of attempted murder.

A woman had reported to police that Richardson beat her with a metal bar, strangled her, stabbed her and kept her confined using a dog leash earlier this month. The woman, who was hospitalized, had said the assault began over relationship problems. Her injuries were not considered to be life-threatening, but she was transferred from a Bloomington hospital to an Indianapolis hospital.

Investigators said she had multiple fractures to her face, a broken vertebrae, broken ribs, contusions and stab wounds. She went to a neighbor for help when Richardson left the house on Wednesday morning.

She told police that Richardson had begun yelling and beating her on the evening of April 9 at a home in the 2600 block of South Rogers Street.

On Friday, authorities learned Richardson was at an house in the 3100 block of West Vernal Pike. They secured a search warrant and joined other authorities in blocking off Vernal Pike and Woodyard Road. At 12:35 p.m., authorities were approaching the house when Richardson fled in a red 2003 Acura. Police said he went west on Vernal Pike and struck a sheriff’s department vehicle and then turned north on Woodyard Road, where he crashed into three other police cars. Richardson then shot himself once in the head with a handgun.