Gaithersburg, MD \u2013 A 26-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with first degree murder in the death of her 92-year-old roommate.<\/p>\n
At approximately 8:20 a.m. Wednesday morning, Montgomery County Police and Montgomery County Fire Rescue, responded to a residence on Spruell Drive in Kensington, for a death investigation.<\/p>\n
Upon their arrival, Julia Birch told officers that she killed her 92-year-old roommate, Nancy Ann Frankel. Officers located Frankel in the home and notified the Homicide Section of a possible murder. Evidence recovered in the residence supported Birch\u2019s statement and she was taken into custody and transported to Montgomery County Police Headquarters to be interviewed.<\/p>\n
During the interview, Birch admitted to killing Frankel, and then calling 911 to report the death.<\/p>\n
An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday, July 29 to determine cause and manner of death.<\/p>\n
Frankel, who was a known sculptor, was \u201cnon-confrontational and talented\u201d and ‘often took young female mentees into her Maryland home,’ neighbor Julia Yost told The Daily Beast<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s my understanding that she was paying rent to Ms. Frankel,\u201d Montgomery County Department of Police spokesperson Shiera Goff told The Daily Beast<\/a>. Adding, Birch was \u201can acquaintance of the victim\u2019s family members.\u201d<\/p>\n Birch was transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit and charged with First Degree Murder. She is being held without bond.<\/p>\n No further details were released.<\/p>\n