«Breaking News» Aspiring chef murdered on outside secluded mountain lodge was victim of sexual assault 'gone wrong'

An aspiring chef slain over the summer at a North Carolina mountain inn died during a sexual assault by a co-worker, prosecutors said Thursday. 

Sarah Ellis, 29, had texted her twin sister on July 22 exclaiming how 'safe' she felt living and working at the secluded Pisgah Inn mountain lodge in Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, where she was staying for the summer, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

He twin Carrie Ellis said: 'Two days before it happened was the last message I had. I was checking on her. She said she did like it there. She was making some friends; it was beautiful.

'It's kind of eerie now. She said, "This is a safe place"'. 

But just two days later, the aspiring chef was found dead on a mountain trail embankment just yards from the hotel. 

Though the specific cause of her death is yet to be revealed, prosecutors now believe the man they accuse of murdering her, Derek Shawn Pendergraft, did so during a sexual assault. 

Victim, Sarah Ellis, texted her sister two days before the vicious July 24 attack, telling her how 'safe' she felt at the Pisgah Inn

Previously, Pendergraft - who was the first to report Miss Ellis missing - had been indicted on charges of second-degree murder, but yesterday prosecutors added two new charges of aggravated sexual abuse and a charge of first-degree murder.

Federal prosecutors announced on December 6 they have filed a superseding indictment adding two counts of aggravated sexual abuse resulting in death against Derek Shawn Pendergraft

The new indictment would also allow authorities to seek the death penalty against Pendergraft, an option prosecutors say they're yet to decide on.  

The indictment said that Pendergraft killed Sara Ellis on July 24 during a sexual assault. 

Prosecutors also cited Ellis to be a 'particularly vulnerable' victim on account of her hearing impairment.  

A defense attorney didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment Thursday.

Pendergraft had initially told authorities the two went for a hike near the Pisgah Inn where both worked, and that he lost track of Ellis after she turned back in the rain.

After he informed inn managers she was missing, authorities found the victim's body off an embankment near the parkway.

Family and friends said that Ellis, 29, was an aspiring chef from Florida who loved to bake and watch cooking shows. 

Sara (left) had been working at the secluded hotel as a cook over the summer, alongside Pendergraft. She hoped the opportunity would help secure her dream job as a restaurant chef

She saw the seasonal job at the inn as a way to advance a career, they said.

The death devastated a group of young, seasonal employees who had come from around the country to work at the inn operated under contract with the National Park Service, its owner Bruce O'Connell said over the summer.

He said about half of the inn's 100 employees live on-site in dorm-style rooms at the property, which is about 30 minutes from surrounding towns. 

Pendergraft, who's from Asheville about 45 minutes northeast, had been working as a housekeeper at the inn.

The quaint inn is located in the Blue Ridge Parkway mountains, in North Carolina

Investigators stand along the trail where Ellis' body was found near Brevard, North Carolina, on July 26

Link hienalouca.com

https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/06/aspiring-chef-murdered-on-outside-secluded-mountain-lodge-was-victim-of-sexual-assault-gone-wrong/
Main photo article An aspiring chef slain over the summer at a North Carolina mountain inn died during a sexual assault by a co-worker, prosecutors said Thursday. 
Sarah Ellis, 29, had texted her twin sister on July 22 exclaiming how ‘safe’ she felt living and working at the secluded Pisgah Inn m...

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Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca





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