Jasmyn Beatty's Brutal Murder In Framingham Apartment Has 'Community On Edge'

FRAMINGHAM (CBS) - Jasmyn Beatty's death in Framingham was a murder, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan confirmed Thursday, but she said investigators still don't know if her stabbing was a random attack or not.

Beatty, 28, was found dead in her home in the Halstead Apartments complex on Route 9 Tuesday morning.  The district attorney said a man who knew Beatty called 911 to report her death. Ryan did not identify him.

"Based on the evidence that we have gathered so far, the nature of the injury suffered by Jasmyn, which was a significant slash wound to the back of the neck, we are investigating this as a homicide," Ryan told reporters at a news conference at the Framingham Police station.

She would not say if investigators had found a weapon yet.

Ryan said Beatty, a University of Rhode Island graduate who had been working from home, lived alone with her dog and had no history with police. Neighbors told WBZ-TV Wednesday they heard screams coming from her apartment Tuesday.

"We understand that the community is on edge," Ryan said. "The sense of safety has been shaken by Jasmyn's death and by uncertainty as to what brought her to that moment. Right now unfortunately we are not able to say in these early stages whether this was a random attack or was committed by someone known to Jasmyn."

Police searched the complex for evidence Wednesday. The district attorney said there were no video surveillance cameras on the property so they're looking for video from surrounding areas.

The buzzer system at the door of Beatty's building has been visibly broken for a long time, according to residents. They say the door is often left unlocked.

"Now I'm like forever looking over my shoulder, and that's not a good feeling," one neighbor said. "We're paying how much money to live here and you can't even do the simple fact of making sure the door is locked downstairs?"

Authorities are asking anyone who saw anything unusual in the area of the apartment complex early Tuesday to call police at 508-532-5911 or 508-872-1212.