A 40-year-old man has been charged with stabbing to death Indian-origin special constable Nisha Patel-Nisri outside her home seven months ago.
Nisha, 29, bled to death just yards from the front porch of her house in Wembley, London, after being stabbed in the leg allegedly by Tony Emmanuel.
Emmanuel, from East Ham, London, appeared before Ealing magistrate on Saturday.
Prosecution counsel Ijaz Malik said Nisha was off duty when she was killed in May and had gone outside barefoot and in her nightdress. She died after receiving a single stab wound.
It is unclear whether she was attacked as she investigated a disturbance outside the house or whether she had been disturbed by an intruder inside.
He said Nisha lost consciousness on the pavement and was taken to Northwick Park Hospital where she died.
Emmanuel was arrested earlier this week after police found an Audi saloon that was seen on CCTV being driven in a suspicious manner near to where she died, an hour before and then a few minutes after the stabbing.
Officers also recovered the knife used in the stabbing, which officers said had given them a "vital" DNA trace of the suspected killer.
A 37-year-old man, who was also questioned by police in connection with the murder, has been released on bail to return in February, but another man who was arrested on Friday morning remains in custody.