CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A case involving a Charleston man charged with the Jan. 18 murder of a 36-year-old woman will now be heading to a Kanawha County grand jury for further consideration.
The charges against Izak Surface, 21, of Charleston were bound over by Kanawha County Magistrate Leslie Grace Tuesday for the beating death of Lora Farley, also of Charleston. An autopsy had determined her death was by homicide from blunt force to the head.
Police have said Surface was in a relationship with Farley and he had been spotted at the residence on Chandler Drive where she was later found.
Charleston Police Detective Dalton Holcomb took the stand to provide a witness testimony during Surface’s preliminary hearing Tuesday.
Holcomb said Charleston EMS was the first to be called to the home on Thursday evening Jan. 18. He said when investigators arrived they found Farley lying unconscious on the floor and had looked to be severely beaten. She was then pronounced dead on the scene.
Holcomb said a search warrant was then executed and blood samples and the apparent weapon used were collected.
Three days later, Sunday, Jan. 21., a Charleston police patrol unit picked Surface up on a previous battery warrant, but there was enough evidence to charge Surface for Farley’s murder.
Holcomb said officers conducted an interview with Surface while in custody and he told them how he committed the murder.
“He said he struck her with a grey vase which we collected on scene, and he said he struck her a couple of times, he wasn’t sure, and after he struck her she was lying on the ground and he got on top of her and used his hands to choke her until she was unconscious,” Holcomb said.
Surface is being held without bond at South Central Regional Jail.