CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Just days before an apparent domestic dispute with her fiancé Chris Henry, Loleini Tonga was seemingly rejoicing at the couple's wedding preparations.
"Jus put deposIt down 4 weDDing piCs... Paid 4 ouR riNgs... Bout 2 eaT wiT my maN n bay bayz.... Startin 2 geT a headache thinKing bouT dis weddin.. I need A cuP," Tonga wrote Tuesday on her MySpace page, in which she identifies herself as "Mrs. C. Henry."
Henry was pronounced dead at 6:36 a.m. EST Thursday after he was discovered lying on a south Charlotte road with "life-threatening injuries" yesterday afternoon. Police say the Cincinnati Bengals receiver got into an argument with Tonga while the couple was staying at her parents' home. At some point, Tonga drove off in a pickup truck, with Henry jumping into the back.
"The domestic situation continued between the operator and Mr. Henry," the police said in a statement. "At some point while she was driving, Mr. Henry came out of the back of the vehicle."
A police spokeswoman said homicide detectives have been assigned to the case, but had no further information.
The couple, who has been raising three children, was in town making wedding plans as they planned to tie the knot next March in the Charlotte area. Tonga had also posted a message to her MySpace page on Sunday discussing the nuptials.
"GoT all 15 of my briDesMaids fiTTeD... Mah 4 maids of honors nexT.. All da boyz ready 2 b fiTTed.... Oh ya n my WeDding dreSs is oFF da ChaiN.. Got my sleeve," she said.
The former West Virginia star was initially plagued by off-the-field problems after being drafted in the third round by the Bengals in 2005. The team released him after his fifth arrest following the 2007 season, only to bring him back a few months later with a new two-year deal. Henry appeared to be turning his life around, having stayed out of trouble ever since.
In an October interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer, Henry credited Tonga for being a major influence in his life.
"She's been a big help. She's been right here with me and going through things and helping out on my side," he said. "We have the kids and she has my back with everything I've needed. She's a great person and I love her to death.
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