Crime Q&A: What happened to man accused of beating girlfriend to death?

Q: About one or two years ago, a young mother named Sarah was beaten and as a result died. Her boyfriend was accused of the crime and arrested. What is happening in this case?

A: William Hendrickson, 34, remains in Sacramento County Jail charged with murder in the March 25, 2015 death of his girlfriend, 32-year-old Sarah Priess.

His next court date, for a trial readiness conference, is March 6, with a trial set for March 20, according to Sacramento Superior Court records available online.

Citrus Heights police were called about 1:43 a.m. to a residence in the 7500 block of Cook Avenue regarding a report of an assault. They found Priess with severe injuries consistent with an assault, according to stories in The Sacramento Bee. Priess was taken to an area hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Hendrickson had left the scene before officers arrived, but he called the police dispatch center about 2:56 a.m., saying he wanted to turn himself in, according to police. Officers went to his location and took Hendrickson into custody without incident.

Family members told The Bee that Priess, the mother of four children, was estranged from her husband and had been sharing a duplex with Hendrickson and his mother. The two met in high school but had each married other people. Family members said Priess and Hendrickson had a tumultuous relationship and that Priess had been trying to leave Hendrickson.

Police said at the time of Priess’ death that records showed officers had responded to the Cook Avenue residence 10 times that year, and several of the calls were related to domestic violence.

This story was originally published February 23, 2017 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Crime Q&A: What happened to man accused of beating girlfriend to death?."