Man charged with first-degree murder after wife shot dead at Smithfield plant

Jesus Bermudez appeared in court Friday after his wife, Lorena Capera Paz, 45, was found shot in a parking lot in Smithfield, NC. He faces a first-degree murder charge.

Husband accused of killing wife at North Carolina factory, prosecutors say he confessed

Google News MT — Crime (en) reports that Jesus Bermudez has been charged with first-degree murder following the shooting death of his wife, Lorena Capera Paz, 45, at the AAF Flanders Plant on Wal Pat Road in Smithfield, North Carolina.

The shooting occurred at approximately 5 a.m. on Thursday. Paz was found in the facility's parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds. AAF confirmed she was an employee at the plant.

Bermudez appeared in Johnston County court on Friday afternoon. Prosecutors stated that, based on available evidence, they believe he confessed to the killing. Speaking through an interpreter, Bermudez told the judge he had turned himself in along with the firearm after leaving the scene.

Witnesses at the scene identified Bermudez as the suspect. Investigators subsequently established that he and Paz were married and that the couple have a teenage son. Bermudez was taken into custody at his home on Galilee Road several hours after the shooting.

Prosecutors also disclosed that Bermudez had purchased the firearm just days before his wife's death. A translated online fundraiser set up for Paz suggests the shooting may have arisen from an argument between the two; however, no formal motive was presented in court on Friday.

AAF Chief Operating Officer Paul Sennett issued a statement: "We have activated our emergency response protocols and are providing support resources, including counseling services, to employees affected by this tragic event."

A translation of the fundraiser read: "With heavy hearts, we deeply mourn the events affecting all the families involved; there is suffering on both sides — the pain of losing a loved one and the pain regarding the person who committed the act."

Investigators consider the shooting an isolated incident. Bermudez is next due in court on 16 July.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)