Deshawn Owens: Man arrested for assault on GF a day before foul smell at home led cops to find body in bin

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

THE BRONX, NEW YORK: Deshawn Owens, an ex-convict, was arrested for brutally assaulting his girlfriend just a day before the decomposed body of another woman was discovered stuffed in a trash can inside his Bronx apartment.

The 30-year-old had been subleasing the apartment on E 179th St near Mapes Ave since his release from prison 15 months ago after serving four years for robbery and burglary.

Deshawn Owens' savage assault led to his girlfriend sustaining multiple severe injuries

Disturbing details emerged regarding Owens' assault on his girlfriend, which occurred between December 1 and January 19.

The ex-convict, who sports a Superman logo tattoo on his chest, reportedly tied her up with cable wires, and subjected her to physical violence, strangulation, and threats involving a knife and a broomstick, as per Daily News.

She suffered severe injuries, including two black eyes, broken ribs, a punctured pancreas, internal bleeding, and multiple broken bones in her hand.

After his arrest, Owens was charged with assault, strangulation, unlawful imprisonment, and other offenses in connection to the alleged kidnapping and attack on his 28-year-old girlfriend.

Decomposed body found at Deshawn Owens' apartment could be another girlfriend

The grim discovery of the decomposed body unfolded when a concerned individual called 911 to report a foul odor emanating from the suspect's apartment.

Responding officers accessed the fifth-floor residence through a fire escape and uncovered the woman's body inside a trash can wrapped in plush fabric, around 2 pm on Saturday.

At the time of the discovery, Owens was already in police custody, facing charges related to the assault on his girlfriend. The identity of the deceased woman is believed to be another girlfriend of Owens, according to police sources. 

The 30-year-old hasn't been slapped with any charges, and the woman's cause of death remains undetermined, as per Daily News.

A neighbor recalled Owens living with a woman in the apartment, but she apparently mysteriously "disappeared" about a month ago. The anonymous neighbor shared, "It was a guy in his 20s, and she was a young girl. It was two people who were staying there, but it wasn’t their apartment. They lived there for about two or three months." 

They added, "I heard their music and a man singing but then nothing. They disappeared."

Anthony Cruz, the building superintendent, stated, "The window was open for the last two weeks, so I didn’t smell nothing. I only found out when a next-door neighbor called to say the police were here. I’m shocked. I never imagined."

Deshawn Owens' troubling criminal history

According to a police source, Owens, who also bears a musical note tattoo, has a troubling past of robbing and abusing girlfriends. 

In 2017, he was arrested for burglary and robbery after breaking into his ex-girlfriend's Mott Haven apartment and stealing her wallet and some electronics, as per DNA Info.

Owens ended up with a five-year prison sentence and was released in October 2022. His parole is expected to end in 2026, as per records. 

On Tuesday, a Bronx Criminal Court judge ordered the ex-convict to be held without bail for the charges of kidnapping and assaulting his surviving girlfriend.