iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — As friends mourn the death of a Washington, D.C., yoga instructor, the man accused of murdering her is expected to appear in court.
Tricia McCauley, 46, who went missing on Christmas Day, was found strangled in her car early Tuesday morning.
Authorities believe McCauley did not know her accused killer, 29-year-old Adrian Duane Johnson, according to Peter Newsham, interim police chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. Police haven’t released a motive.
McCauley, a yoga instructor and actress, was a stand-in on the 2006 Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum movie Step Up, according to People magazine.
Deborah Randall, McCauley’s friend of nearly 25 years, told ABC News McCauley was “vibrant,” “organized” and “always looking for the next challenge.”
“It’s hard not to be very angry. I was furious. Because it was so violent and unnecessary. And then it just keeps making me think of our conversations, about always looking for the positive,” Randall said.
“She never held a grudge, she was never bitter toward anyone,” Randall continued. “I just felt really torn because there’s just a part of me that wants to rage. But I feel that would dishonor her so much. For me it was just about trying to stay in the light that she was constantly shining on all of us.”
Johnson, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, has been charged with first-degree murder among other charges, police said. He’s expected to appear in court at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
On Monday, Johnson and McCauley’s car were spotted on the 700 block of Fourth Street, Newsham said. The suspect was allegedly involved in a theft at a CVS store at that location and allegedly assaulted employees there, Newsham said.
McCauley was last seen Christmas Day around 4:30 p.m. Her brother told ABC Washington affiliate WJLA-TV she had prepared a dish for a friend’s Christmas party but never arrived at the celebration. He said the dish was left on her kitchen counter.
A missing person poster was released and police received a tip late Monday night that led authorities to find her dead in her car, the police said.
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