(COVINGTON)---A Baton Rouge man, who Covington Police describe as a "street drifter" with a long criminal history of domestic abuse crimes, has been charged in connection with the brutal beating death of a Covington woman.

Covington Police Capt. Jack West reports that 37-year-old Kevin Williams, with a last known address in Baton Rouge but has been "living on the street" in Covington, has been charged with first degree murder, two counts of monetary instrument abuse, and forgery. Capt. West adds that more charges against Williams are expected as the investigation moves forward.

The investigation began at around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 11, when Covington Police responded to a call where a landlord said he had found the badly decomposed body of his tenant, later identified as 64-year-old Ileana Lyons, in a rental house at 420 North Vermont Street in Covington.

As the investigation began, Capt. West says that checks from Lyons' bank account were being cashed in Covington. The investigation then led to Williams who, according to Capt. West, has an extensive record of domestic abuse crimes, including attempted rape and other counts of violence against women. Capt. West says that Williams was apparently using money from the stolen checks to buy drugs on the street.

Capt. West adds that as the investigation moves forward, more charges are expected to be filed against Williams, who was described as unremorseful during questioning.

This is the first murder in Covington for 2008 and, according to Capt. West, only the third homicide case involving a female victim in the past 25 years.

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