'It's been a nightmare': Man convicted in 1996 Windsor manslaughter charged in Michigan homicide

Tasha Porter says she's living a nightmare after the man who killed her mother in 1996 has been charged again in connection to a homicide.

William Faulkner was arrested and charged last week in the death of his 68-year-old girlfriend. Police in Center Line, Mich. found her body in the couple's bathtub covered in blood with two stab wounds.

"It's been a nightmare that you can't wake up from. Every time I close my eyes I just see his picture and the whole scenario all over again," said Porter. "My heart just aches for that family — that they have to go through what we went through 23 years ago."

The two cases are very similar, according to Porter and police in Michigan. Porter's mother was also dating Faulkner at the time of her death.

Faulkner was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Porter's mother, and received a four-year sentence. He also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in an attack against Porter, and received three years behind bars to be served consecutively.

Porter, who was seven months pregnant at the time, remembers being told she "had five minutes to live" before first responders showed up.

Faulkner was initially charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder in the case involving Porter's mother.

'He cleaned up the crime scene,' say police

Last week Faulkner went to the Center Line police department and asked officers to perform a wellness check on his girlfriend, officials told CBC News. Police said they thought the request was odd because the pair lived together — and Faulkner had keys.

Officers attended the apartment and found a woman dead, fully clothed, in the bathtub.

When the officer left the unit after seeing the scene, "without another word being said," Faulkner put his hands behind his back to be cuffed, according to Center Line Director of Public Safety Paul Myszenski.

'Very unusual' case

Myszenski called the entire situation "very unusual."

"Murder suspects don't come into the station ... then take the police to the crime scene. That doesn't happen," he said.

Prior to this, Myszenski said the accused didn't have any interaction with police in Center Line. Myszenski also said there were no reports of screams, unusual noises or anything to believe a homicide was being committed.

Porter said she finds it disturbing that the man convicted of killing her mother is accused of having done something similar.

"I think that if he would have been sentenced properly here and Canada would have given us justice, he would have gotten life and this woman wouldn't be dead today," she said.

Windsor case might aid U.S. authorities

Detectives in Michigan say they'll be crossing the border to speak with Porter.

CBC News has learned U.S. authorities are also speaking with Windsor police about the 1996 charges and conviction to help with their own case.

According to Myszenski, there are only a few crimes where you can bring up someone's past during a trial, and homicide is one of them.

"It'll be very helpful for us," he said.

Faulkner hasn't been assigned a lawyer, according to Myszenski. He will likely be assigned a public defender within about a week once the preliminary examination gets underway.

Porter said she wants a more severe sentence if Faulkner is convicted, so he spends the rest of his life in a cell.

"Justice was not served," said Porter. "They failed us big time."