Boyfriend arrested after elementary school principal found strangled to death in bed

A man who was allegedly spotted running around naked in a New York town has been arrested for the suspected murder of his girlfriend after she was found strangled to death in her home.

Jeremy J. Kirch, 45, was apprehended by Rome police and taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation. He was later charged with second-degree murder in the death of 50-year-old Elizabeth A. Gerling.

Gerling was found dead in her bed on Tuesday morning at her home on Birch Circle in Rome, New York, deputies said. The elementary school principal is the daughter of a retired US bankruptcy judge, Stephen Gerling, according to her obituary .

Her death has been ruled a homicide due to strangulation,” according to the medical examiner’s office.

Kirch, who deputies identified as Gerling’s boyfriend, told police he had been at her home the night before her death, until early the next morning. It’s not clear who found the principal’s body and alerted police.

Hours after the suspected murder, Kirch was spotted running around naked in Rome before he was taken into custody, The Daily Sentinel reported.

“After a short conversation with him, he was transported to the Kurt B. Wyman Law Enforcement Building for further questioning,” authorities said, according to Law&Crime . “Kirch was arrested for murder in the second degree and he was arraigned in Rome City Court and remanded to the Oneida County Jail without bail.”

According to Gerling’s obituary, she was a mother of one son. She was hired as a school principal at Columbus Elementary School in Utica in 2013 and “truly loved her job.”

On the school’s website , Gerling was remembered for being an “exceptional leader” and for her “dedication to the school community.”

“In Loving Memory of Principal Elizabeth Gerling. Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of our beloved principal. Ms. Gerling’s dedication to our school community will forever be remembered,” it read.

Utica City School District Superintendent Dr. Christopher Spence remembered Gerling as “not just an exceptional educator and leader but also a dear friend and colleague to many.” He wrote that her death was a “shock to all of us,” especially just before the new school year.