Friend: Woman found slain in Indiana had a '~heart of gold'

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A woman whose remains were discovered in southwestern Indiana more than a year after her slaying was selfless and loved spreading joy to others, the woman's friend said.

Authorities found Evonne Pullen, 29, dead and buried earlier this month in a detached garage of an Evansville home. Police said it appears someone tried to conceal her body and that it had been there for an extended period. Three people who lived with her have been charged in connection with her killing.

Pullen's friend, Catherine Williams, said she met her four years ago and the two established a friendship while each was experiencing homelessness in Winchester, Virginia.

Williams said she admired Pullen's 'œheart of gold'ť despite the obstacles she dealt with, noting the woman's work at a Virginia nonprofit organization in addition to volunteering, the Evansville Courier & Press reported.

'œWinchester was the place that she lived, and she wanted to put back in the community. And that's what she did,'ť Williams said.

Pullen moved to Evansville from Winchester in 2018. While in Indiana, she lived with Angela Paul, who she had met at a Winchester shelter. Paul's mother, Joan Paul, and Joan Paul's husband, Gary Anderson, also lived with them.

Williams, who last spoke to Pullen in August 2018, said the woman told her at the time that she had made a mistake of moving to Indiana with Angela Paul and that she was being abused.

'œI told her she had to leave, and all she said was that she was working on leaving,'ť Williams said.

After months of not hearing from Pullen again, Williams said she grew more concerned. And in September of this year, she distributed missing posters for Pullen and created a Facebook page to help with the search for her.

Pullen's body was found in November. Afterward, police discovered that Angela Paul was the payee on Pullen's disability checks.

'œShe trusted Angela (Paul) and her family, and they took full advantage of her to the fullest extent,'ť Williams said. 'œShe trusted them; she just wanted to be loved.'ť

Angela Paul has been charged with murder, obstruction of justice, abuse of a corpse and failure to report a dead body, according to the newspaper. Joan Paul and Anderson both face charges of obstruction of justice, abuse of a corpse and failure to report a dead body.

According to the arrest affidavit, police said Joan Paul told them Pullen was killed on Sept. 25, 2018. An autopsy found her death was a homicide by blunt force trauma.

In a joint Facebook post, Pullen's parents mourned the loss of their daughter and wrote that they will plan a memorial service after receiving her cremated remains.

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Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, http://www.courierpress.com