A man on trial for the murder of his ex-girlfriend allegedly asked chilling questions on Google prior to and after her disappearance.
On January 8, DeAndre Booker of Roseville, Michigan, was arrested in connection with the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend Ashley Elkins.
Elkins, a 30-year-old hairstylist and mother of two, was last seen leaving her home to run errands in Warren, Michigan, on January 2.
Despite an intensive search, authorities have not found Elkins’ body. The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office charged Booker, 32, in January with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, disinterment and mutilation, and concealing a death.
During a court appearance on Friday, Aug. 8, Detective Chris Moran of the Roseville Police Department testified that he discovered Google searches on Booker’s phone from the days surrounding Elkin’s disappearance that appeared to link Booker to the alleged crime, according to NBC affiliate WDIV.
According to WDIV, the alleged searches included phrases such as “[T]elling god I want to kill someone,” “9mm silencer roseville,” “shoot gun through pillow,” “Can you track location when phone is off,” and “What happened to trash after it was picked up.”
The prosecuting attorney in the case then reportedly asked Moran why he thought those specific searches were relevant to the case, to which the detective responded, “Based on the information we had on what could’ve happened at the time, these appeared to be the most relevant,” WDIV reported.
The detective also stated that he discovered blood in the dumpster at Booker’s apartment, which led him to believe that the last Google search regarding trash pickup would be especially relevant if Booker “had placed the victim in the dumpster,” adding, “He would definitely be very concerned as to where the trash would go with the body,” according to WDIV.
Booker’s defense attorney, Robbie Lang, previously told PEOPLE that he had no comment about his client’s Internet searches.
“I don’t have any real comment on what people search or don’t search [on the Internet] and I don’t know where that quantifies as guilt for anything,” Lang told me at the time.
On Sunday, August 10, PEOPLE contacted Lang, the Roseville Police Department, and the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
Booker pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him. His trial is scheduled to resume on Friday, August 15, according to Law&Crime.
