Sherman Odom
NEWTON, N.C. — The warrants in the Maggie Daniels case were released to the media Monday, indicating a struggle ensued between Maggie Daniels and her attacker.
In a press conference Monday afternoon, Newton Police said Maggie Daniels was strangled by her attacker during a struggle in her apartment. The search warrant released Monday states several items were damaged in Daniels’ home, further indicating a struggle ensued.
The search warrant for Sharman Howard Odom, 34, Daniels’ accused murder, states investigators noticed a chunk of Odom’s hair missing while they were conducting an interview with him. That chunk of hair was later recovered by authorities in Odom’s closet, according to the warrant.
Police also said images recovered from Odom’s phone showed “selfies” Odom had taken where he had fresh scratches on his face.
Newton Police say the tests have not yet been returned to determine in Daniels was sexually assaulted. As of now, police have not been able to find any evidence of a personal relationship between Daniels and her accused murderer.
Odom is charged with murder in the Newton High School counselor’s death, and made his first court appearance Monday in Catawba County. He faces the death penalty, if convicted. Odom will be appointed a counselor out of the Capital Attorney’s Office in Durham.
Monday morning outside of the courthouse, a woman believed to be Odom’s mother and another woman attacked two reporters. First, the woman knocked a microphone out of the hand of a reporter, then smashed the camera into the face of another reporter, who sustained a laceration on the face. One of those women is facing assault charges.
Daniels was found dead in her town home at the Windsor Apartment Complex on north Main Street on June 28.
Authorities arrested Odom in Winston-Salem on Saturday afternoon.
The newest evidence in the case was taken by police from another unit in that complex; police descended on unit 52 two weeks ago and stayed for nine hours collecting items of potential evidence.
North Carolina criminal records show Odom had been arrested several times before, including burglary and rape charges. Most of those charges against him were dismissed.
