Ex-Girlfriend Of Suspect In NSU Professor's Murder Talks Of Violence, Fraud

The former girlfriend of a man charged with the murder of a Northeastern State University professor says her relationship with the man ended when he victimized her.

She cut ties with Joshua Schneider a few months ago, and not on the best of terms, but Charity Pearce said she was shocked, at first, to learn of the allegations against him.

"Now, it's kind of like, 'Duh,' you know? Like, I feel kind of stupid," Pearce said.

Schneider is charged with killing Tiffany Maher in her home in Tahlequah and setting fire to her body. Investigators say he also stole several items from her home. It was when he pawned those items that the OSBI identified him as a suspect in the killing.

OSBI agents and Tulsa police began a manhunt for Schneider after he eluded them in a chase. He was finally caught 10 days later.

Schneider was found in the woods near a south Tulsa hotel, where he'd been living with his girlfriend, Heather Black. Black had turned herself in and led investigators to his location.

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"We met on a website, like he meets all his women," Pearce said.

She said she and Schneider talked for about two months before they finally met in person in January. A week later, she said she moved in with him and they were together until March.

That's about the time Heather Black told agents she met Schneider, according to court documents.

Pearce said their relationship ended when Schneider stole her identity.

"As I dug a little deeper, I realized that my paperwork was missing. My birth certificate was gone. My Social Security card, all of my children's information was gone. Everything that I had that was personal was gone," she said.

She said he had used her information to open credit card accounts. Pearce said she pressed charges, changed her phone number, blocked him on Facebook and hasn't talked to him since.

7/27/2013 Related Story: Tulsa Police Capture Person Of Interest In NSU Professor's Death

After hearing what Schneider was accused of, Pearce said she realized he could have hurt her much worse.

"You don't ever expect anything like that," Pearce said. "He was never violent, as far as like when we were together doing things. Intimately, he's very, very violent. He likes to choke you and make you do things the way he wants them done."

Pearce said she's received Facebook messages from other women who knew Schneider, and some who say they were dating him at the same time she was.

She said there's something to be learned from her online dating experience: "Dig deeper. Learn more about a person before you just go move in with them right away. Just cover all your bases."

The cause and manner of Maher's death hasn't been released yet. Court documents show investigators believe she met Schneider on a dating website.