27-year-old pleads guilty to murder of 92-year-old roommate

BETHESDA - Julie Birch, 27, pleaded guilty on Monday to second-degree murder for the death of her 92-year-old roommate, Nancy Ann Frankel. 

On July 28, 2021, police responded to a home on Spruell Drive in Kensington, Maryland. Birch, who was 26 at the time, told officers she had suffocated and killed her 92-year-old roommate. Police found Frankel dead in her bedroom. 

According to police, Birch had laid Frankel's body on a billow, folded her arms over her chest and put perfume on her. 

Birch admitted to killing Frankel by trying to place a plastic bag over her head to suffocate her. When Frankel poked a hole in the bag, Birch took her to the ground and strangled her to death. She then called 911 to report the death. 

After an evaluation by a State doctor, Birch was found to have been experiencing psychotic symptoms at the time of the murder and was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. 

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 29th. Birch faces up to 40 years in prison.