LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A woman is charged with murder after being accused of strangling a patient to death at a Louisville addiction treatment center.

Louisville Metro Police officers arrested Angela Hensley, 48, two days after a patient at a Louisville addiction treatment center was found dead in her room.

Hensley refused to participate in her arraignment Wednesday morning. She stayed seated in the front row the entire time. She also stared blankly ahead and silently ignored the judge. That judge ultimately assigned her a public defender and entered a plea of not guilty.

According to her arrest citation, surveillance video shows Hensley entering the victim's room Sunday at Praxis of Louisville by Landmark Recovery in the Hazelwood neighborhood. Louisville Metro Police investigators said Hensley is initially seen walking into the victim's room, and the victim could be seen standing.

About four minutes later, according to the arrest citation, Hensley is seen leaving the room, and the victim can be seen lying on the floor. She then reenters the room multiple additional times and never told staff anything about the victim's condition.

Praxis of Louisville by Landmark Recovery

Landmark Recovery said it will cooperate with law enforcement's investigation.

"She said she wanted to die so I killed her," Hensley told LMPD detectives, according to the arrest citation.

Hensley added that she reentered the room several times because "she wasn't dead yet" and "I f****** finished killing her."

Melissa Davis, Hensley's friend, said she's shocked.

"For her to go from being supportive to playing God and taking actions into her own hands — even if she said she wanted to die — that wasn't Angela," Davis said. "Angela was the most sweet, God-worshipping sister you could ask for. She's a proud Army veteran."

Davis is also a recovering addict who went through treatment at Praxis of Louisville a few years ago. She believes the facility should be held partially responsible.

"Where was the staff while she's walking in and out? Y'all failed them. You failed both of them," she said. "Everybody who's been through that program knows if you're not a roommate, you're not allowed to go into that room."

Angela Hensley

Angela Hensley (Photo courtesy of the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections)

WDRB reached out to the treatment center but hasn't been able to confirm whether or not Hensley and the victim were roommates. The CEO Landmark Recovery, Matt Boyle, sent the following statement:

"Landmark Recovery grieves at the loss of a former patient. Addiction is a tragic, complex disease that often presents with serious medical and psychiatric comorbidities. We furthermore applaud the swift response of the police officers and paramedics who assisted us in responding to this tragedy and doing their utmost to save her life. We thank our many staff, who stand in the gap every day in what is often a thankless job, caring for a misunderstood, desperately sick population. Because of their response, the patient was able to reach the hospital with a pulse and vital signs. We look forward to cooperating with law enforcement in all possible ways to ensure the ensuing investigation is brought to a just conclusion."

The autopsy performed Monday found the cause of death was likely strangulation. The victim was found with "neck abrasions, right sternohyoid muscle hemorrhage, conjunctival and scleral hemorrhages (and) petechia of the face."

When investigators asked Hensley how she killed the victim, she replied that she used a towel. The surveillance video shows Hensley entering the victim's room with a towel around her neck, according tot he arrest citation.

"She kept the towel around her neck," Davis said. "I don't know if that's from her being in the Army, but that was something normal. But for her to say she did it because the girl was wanting to die — something went wrong in (Hensley's head). Because last year, she wasn't like that."

Davis also said Hensley checked herself into this facility several times over the past few years.

On Wednesday morning, Hensley's charge was upgraded from attempted murder to murder. A judge set her bond at $1 million. After the arraignment, she was taken away in handcuffs.

"I feel really, really bad for whoever the family was that lost their child while they were in there getting their life together because nobody deserves that," Davis said.

Hensley is expected to be back in court Feb. 20.

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