The married couple at the center of a murder investigation at a Smithfield manufacturing plant had a "volatile and strained" relationship, according to search warrants released in the case.
Jesus Bermudez, 39, is charged with one count of first-degree murder after investigators say he shot and killed his wife, Lorena Paz, 42, in the parking lot of the AAF Flanders facility along Wal Pat Road on June 25. The company said Paz was an employee at the plant.
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Search warrants in the case say Paz's friend and supervisor told officers that Paz was in the process of getting a protective order against Bermudez in the days leading up to the murder. The friend said Bermudez had made threats to Paz by telling her, "this will get handled" and "if we were in Colombia, this would have already been handled."
Court documents obtained by WRAL show Bermudez is being held for federal immigration officials and that he was previously removed from the U.S.
The friend noted that Bermudez took Paz's cellphone under the suspicion that she was involved in a romantic relationship with another person, according to the search warrants. A person who search warrants say Paz had been seeing in the weeks leading up to shooting told investigators that Paz was the victim of abuse by Bermudez.
In an interview with investigators, Bermudez admitted to shooting Paz, warrants say. Bermudez said he bought a gun "off the street" in Raleigh for $400 a day before the murder, and he threw it from the car window afterward. Investigators say they later recovered the gun.
Bermudez was taken into custody at his home on Galilee Road hours after the shooting. Search warrants note Bermudez had a fluid that appeared to be blood on his clothing when he was arrested.
Surveillance footage from AAF Flanders shows a brief struggle between Bermudez and Paz before Bermudez is seen leaving the parking lot after the shooting, according to search warrants.
"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," a translation of an online fundraiser for Paz's family reads.
The search warrants reveal that investigators have seized digital evidence from cell phones and cameras belonging to those involved in the case.
Bermudez is being held without bond. Court records indicate an administrative hearing in the case was scheduled for Wednesday.