(McClean County, ND) — A McClean County man faces a second-degree murder charge after his girlfriend’s body was found in the remains of their burned home. The house fire happened earlier this month near White Shield, and firefighters found the woman’s body on a mattress. An autopsy determined that she died of strangulation before the fire started. Investigators say surveillance video from inside the home shows the victim’s boyfriend, Derick Wilkinson, attacking her the night before the fire. Wilkinson is being held at the Ward County Detention Center in Minot.
