Police: Professor killed by woman with stiletto heel

(CNN) — It may have been a vicious murder or the unintentional result of a lover’s quarrel. Either way, the death of a Texas college professor stands out for the weapon the killer allegedly used: one of her own stilettos.

Ana Lilia Trujillo, 44, is charged with murder for striking Alf Stefan Andersson “with a deadly weapon, namely a shoe,” Houston police say in the official complaint against her.

Andersson, a research professor from the University of Houston, had 10 puncture wounds on his head — some as deep as an inch and a half — and 15 to 20 puncture wounds along his face, arms, and neck, prosecutors say, according to CNN affiliate KTRK.

Trujillo remains in jail, with bail set at $100,000.

When police arrived at Andersson’s apartment on Sunday, Trujillo, who had recently worked as a massage therapist, answered the door with blood on her clothes and hands; Andersson was lying in the hallway face up, with a stiletto by his head, KTRK reported, citing court records.

Trujillo had recently moved in with Andersson, and she told investigators that he grabbed her, and a struggle followed, KTRK reported.

An official cause of death has not been determined, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences told CNN.

It was not immediately known who Trujillo’s attorney will be. CNN could not immediately reach a relative of Trujillo.

Trujillo has said in the past that “if anybody ever messed with her,” she’d get them with her shoe — “a big stiletto heel,” Jim Carroll, former manager of a motel where Trujillo lived, told KTRK.

In a prepared statement, the University of Houston said it was “saddened to learn of the tragic death of Professor Stefan Andersson. Our hearts go out to his colleagues, family and friends during this difficult time.”

He was a full-time research professor at the school’s Center for Nuclear Receptor and Cell Signaling.

CNN’s Brian Carberry and Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report.