Charlie Enice Brooks's Happy Reunion With Joseph Pope Ends in Murder, Suicide

The photo above is a surveillance image taken on Sunday, June 7, at Tampa International Airport.

On the right is Charlie Enice Brooks, who'd just traveled from her home in Fort Morgan to Florida for a visit with Joseph Pope, described as her childhood friend and sometime boyfriend.

But the reunion didn't stay happy for long.

By Monday, Brooks was dead — and on Tuesday, so was Pope. He committed suicide as police were closing in.

This shocking story has made big news in Florida, where it took place, but has received precious little attention in Colorado to date.

Brooks had previously lived in Florida, but she was most recently based in Fort Morgan, where she resided with her husband. Her Facebook page sports a single photo....


...and two posts from January, both of which read, "Stop texting me!"

Brooks has had past run-ins with the law, as witnessed by this photo....


...and this one....


...that surfaced after her death, as well as online links to criminal records.

However, she was the victim of crime in Florida. as detailed by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office in a press conference on view below.

According to the PCSO, Pope picked up Brooks at the Tampa airport, where they were captured in surveillance images such as this one....


...and this one:


From there, the pair traveled to the home in the community of Seminole that Pope shared with his mother, father and two sisters.

The parents were gone and the sisters left for a while, notes WTSP-TV. Then, the following morning, Brooks's body was found in a Seminole waterway.

The cause of death was gruesome. Police believe her head was crushed with a large rock.

Here's a look at the rock, stained by blood....


....as well as other evidence found by authorities:


Pope was questioned after the body was found and reportedly denied having seen or even known Brooks. However, neighbors told investigators that they'd seen a woman matching Brooks's description at the house on Sunday.

Deputies returned to Pope's residence on Tuesday, but as they were approaching with a search warrant, one of his sister's emerged to say he'd just killed himself with a .45 caliber handgun.

Look below to see a WFLA-TV package about this disturbing series of events, followed by the aforementioned press conference, featuring much more information.

WFLA News Channel 8


Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.