Autopsy: Bride-to-be strangled before apartment set on fire

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- An autopsy report shows a 27-year-old bride-to-be was strangled inside her Charlotte, North Carolina, apartment this summer before it was set on fire.

News outlets report the autopsy performed by the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office also reveals that Amanda Strous suffered significant burns and blunt force injuries in her June 18 death. Her mouth was also reportedly taped shut.

Twenty-eight-year-old Matthew Thomas Benner is charged with first-degree arson and murder in her death. Authorities believe Benner, who lived in the same apartment complex as Strous, had been stalking her.

Strous was to be married next month.

Benner fled North Carolina after the death. Authorities say he confessed to the killing after being arrested two days later near Las Vegas.

A rape kit was also performed and turned over to detectives.