The man accused of killing a 23-year-old woman in Alexandria, Va., last month denies his involvement in the crime, saying he was a friend of the victim.

       David Cunningham, 40, is accused of killing Melia Jones, a neighbor in his South Van Dorn Street apartment building. Jones was killed Dec. 4, but her body was not found by her parents until three days later, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Maana Parcham said at a bond hearing Tuesday in Alexandria General District Court.

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       “It was an extremely brutal murder,” Parcham said. “It was an extremely violent scene.”

       Jones was sexually assaulted, strangled and wrapped in blankets with a bag over her head, according to the prosecutor. Cunningham’s fingerprints were found in the apartment and his DNA was under her nails and on her body, Parcham said. He faces a single charge of second-degree murder.

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       Defense attorney Damon Colbert said in court that Cunningham had struck up a friendship with Jones in September. They had a “somewhat amorous relationship,” Colbert said, which he said would explain the DNA. But in a 5？-hour interview with detectives, he said, his client maintained his innocence in her death.

       Jones lived alone and until the coronavirus pandemic had been employed. Her obituary described her as a “gentle and sweet spirit” who loved dancing and singing along to pop and gospel music. Efforts to reach her family were unsuccessful.

       “This is a genuine whodunit,” Colbert argued. “Because he was in her unit, they’ve now pinned this on him.”

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       Cunningham relocated from New York to Alexandria in 2020 to be closer to his ex-wife and three of his five children, Colbert said. He was working at a Coca-Cola warehouse on Seminary Road. While he struggles with an addiction to crack cocaine, Colbert said his client’s only criminal record is for illegal possession of a handgun in New York 16 years ago.

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       “This man should be allowed to go back to the community … to fight for his life,” Colbert argued, particularly given the difficulty of preparing for trial during the pandemic and the risk of coronavirus infection in jail.

       Parcham said Cunningham was inconsistent in what he told investigators, particularly about whether his relationship with Jones had been sexual. “The defendant’s story changed quite a bit,” she said, which he blamed on alcohol and drug use.

       General District Court Judge Donald M. Haddock ordered Cunningham, whose next hearing is set for March 18, held without bond, saying the DNA evidence was enough to find probable cause. Colbert said he plans to appeal that ruling.