Taylor Pomaski (L) and Kevin Ware (R).
Shocking new details have emerged in the case against a former NFL player who allegedly killed his girlfriend in April 2021.
Kevin Ware, 41, stands accused of murder and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of 29-year-old Taylor Pomaski, who was last seen alive during a party at the couple’s residence in Spring, Texas, a census-designated place and suburb of Houston.
According to court documents obtained by Houston-based NBC affiliate KPRC, the victim’s body was burned after she was killed. Ware is believed to have killed Pomaski by a combination of brutal violence including strangling, cutting, and beating her with a blunt object.
After Pomaski went missing on April 25, 2021, investigators said Ware was uncooperative in search efforts and quickly became a person of interest. In mid December 2021, human remains were discovered in North Harris County, and presumed to belong to Pomaski.
The deceased woman’s identity was confirmed via forensic testing in early May 2022. Under the glare of formal speculation for over a year, the defendant was indicted for Pomaski’s murder in late July 2022. Ware had actually been arrested the month before for allegedly violating bond conditions on weapon and drug charges he incurred less than a week before his then-girlfriend went missing.
Witnesses would later report that the couple had a violent altercation during the small party where Pomaski was last seen alive.
“She was in danger, and she was in trouble,” Pomaski’s longtime friend Eric Zuleger told Houston-based ABC affiliate KTRK. “There was violence, she referenced a gun being pulled on her. She was very scared, very nervous.”
After the deceased woman disappeared, Ware began failing to show up for court appearances mandated by his bail conditions. Pomaski’s parents reported her missing on May 11, 2021.
In comments to Inside Edition Digital, Pomaski’s mother, Leslie Mandeville, said that her daughter uncharacteristically did not reach out to her parents on Mother’s Day, which also happens to be her father’s birthday.
“She never missed that type of stuff,” Mandeville said. “Never.”
Eight days later, the missing persons inquiry was transferred to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit.
Zuleger, also described in some media reports as Pomaski’s ex-boyfriend, described her as “beautiful” and “bubbly.”
He told Houston-based CBS affiliate KHOU that she was in a toxic and abuse relationship with Ware – and wanted out.
“Taylor reached out to me many times throughout the month of April,” Zuleger told the TV station. “We were talking about her getting out of there, getting back on her feet, getting herself set and stabilized.”
Law enforcement have not offered a motive for why they believe Ware killed Pomaski. A motive may never be floated.
The defendant was recently transferred from a Montgomery County jail to a lockup in Harris County where he will await trial.
“We appreciate everyone who has come forward to provide evidence and aid in our investigation,” Lacy Johnson, a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Major Offenders Division said in a statement obtained by KPRC. “Although this investigation has been going on since Taylor’s disappearance in 2021, the court process is just beginning, and we encourage anyone who has knowledge about what happened between Kevin and Taylor to come forward.”
Ware is a former tight end for the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington, D.C.-area NFL team now known as the Washington Commanders. He played 16 games during a brief, two-season career.
[images: Taylor Pomaski via Texas EquuSearch; Kevin Ware via Montgomery County Jail]