July 29, 2021- 7:23 p.m.
A 26-year-old woman has been accused of murdering her 92-year-old roommate after the elderly woman welcomed her into her home before calling 911 to report herself to police.
Julia Birch was arrested Wednesday and charged with first degree murder for the murder of famed sculptor Nancy Ann Frankel in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Police were called to Frankel’s home on Spruell Drive in Kensington around 8:20 a.m. that morning over a report of a body.
When officers arrived, Birch allegedly confessed to murdering her elderly roommate. Police said they found Frankel’s body in the house, along with evidence supporting Birch’s confession.
The 26-year-old was taken into custody, and during a follow-up call at the Montgomery County Police Department, she again admitted to killing Frankel and told police she called 911 to report the death.
It is not yet clear how Frankel died, police say an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday to determine the cause and manner of her death.
No motive has been given for her murder and police have not released any further information about the events leading up to her death, citing an active investigation.
A police spokesman told DailyMail.com Birch had been living with Frankel at her home since January and was “an acquaintance of the victim’s relatives.”
Frankel’s neighbor told The everyday beast Frankel had mentored and taken in several young women over the years, but that she had always found Birch unfriendly and “disconnected.”
Julia Yost, who lives a few doors down from the house where the sculptor was due to display her artwork in her yard, said most people in the area stop to say hello.
“I may have only seen that girl three times, but when I saw her, she seemed disconnected,” Yost said.
Birch was arrested Wednesday and charged with first degree murder for the murder of famed sculptor Nancy Ann Frankel in Montgomery County, Maryland
