A 19-year-old man is in custody in Winnipeg charged with first-degree murder, after a woman was found beaten in an alley early Sunday morning.

A passerby found 29-year-old Claudia Cook lying in a back lane with massive head injuries. Cook died a few hours later in hospital.

She had just come from a nearby house party on Agnes Street, celebrating her brother's wedding.

One of the wedding guests - 19-year-old Justin Sanoffsky of Duck Bay - has been charged with first-degree murder.

He'll appear in court this morning. Police have released few other details. Cook leaves behind an eight-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter.