Law Student Set to Graduate in Months Was Found Slain Along Shore in July, Boyfriend Charged with Murder

Two months after the remains of a California woman were found on a Bay Area shoreline, her boyfriend was charged with murder, according to multiple reports. 

The remains of Rachel Elizabeth Imani Buckner, 27, were found inside a bag in Alameda County on July 20, though they were not identified until Aug. 30, the Alameda Police Department said. A week later, United States Marshals arrested Joseph Roberts, who had been identified as the suspect, police said.

Citing court documents, KTVU reported that Buckner’s body was found with its head, feet and hands severed.

According to KTVU, the San Francisco Chronicle and KRON4, Roberts and Buckner were romantically linked, with KTVU and the Chronicle reporting that Roberts had referred to Buckner as his fiancée when he was arrested.

“The two of them had been dating,” a police spokesperson told KRON4. “They might have even been engaged.”

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Roberts is currently in custody at Santa Rita Jail and was charged with murder, according to jail records. It is not immediately clear if he has retained an attorney. He will appear at a plea hearing on Sept. 21, records indicate.

According to the outlets, Roberts and Buckner lived together in Pleasanton, Calif., and reportedly had no ties to Alameda, where her body was found.

KTVU reported that Buckner had never been reported missing by Roberts, who also had kept and used her cell phone even after she had died, according to police, and had been in contact with multiple other women.

The Buckner family reportedly wrote a statement to KTVU.

"Her death has left a void that is indescribable in her community and village," the statement said.

Buckner had attended Howard University and was two months away from graduating law school at Golden Gate University, the outlet reported. 

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.