Raleigh murder suspect may have stabbed man for exposing affair, warrants state
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- Reginald Perry, 69, was arrested after Sonny Hauser, 63, was found stabbed to death.
- Police believe the pair were in an intimate relationship, according to warrants.
- Perry allegedly threatened to kill Hauser for exposing the affair, warrants say.
A Raleigh man allegedly fatally stabbed another man in October after the other man reportedly exposed their affair, according to search warrants released this week.
Richard “Sonny” Hauser, 63, was found dead at his Pender Street home Oct. 14, The News & Observer previously reported. Reginald Perry, 69, was arrested on a charge of murder the next day.
Hauser’s roommate called 911 just before 11 a.m. that day after finding him dead in his room, according to a 911 call released to The N&O.
“We hadn’t seen him in a few days,” the caller said. “Somebody just — when I asked somebody to check on him, I don’t know if his door was locked or not, but he’s on the bed. He’s been disappeared for a day or so.”
Hauser had been stabbed at least eight times and had injuries to the face, back of his neck, left shoulder, center of his back and back of his skull, a search warrant states.
Blood spatter in the room indicated the attack had probably happened there, according to search warrants. Officers didn’t find a weapon at the scene.
Detectives quickly turned their attention to Perry when people who knew Hauser reported the pair had been in an intimate relationship for an unspecified amount of time, the warrants state.
“Two weeks before his murder, the decedent told his family he was informing Reggie’s wife about the affair,” a detective wrote. “The last known contact the decedent’s family had with the victim was on Sunday 10/12/2025 around 17:00 hours.”
Witnesses reported Perry visited Hauser frequently, according to search warrants.
One of Hauser’s roommates reported Perry was waiting on the front porch of the house the evening of Oct. 13 and asked where Hauser was, stating Hauser “got too much mouth” and “someone needs to kill him, I might kill him!” Perry then allegedly returned that same evening around 10 p.m., but left after a few minutes, saying he’d return and asking if Hauser’s roommate “would be awake to let him in,” warrants state.
The day after Hauser was found dead, police stopped Perry in a black Dodge Ram pickup truck and found a green and black folding knife with a broken tip and multiple towels “that tested presumptively positive for blood,” along with cleaning supplies, the warrants state.
What suspect told police
Before detectives interviewed Perry, he allegedly mentioned Hauser had been stabbed to death, information that hadn’t been shared with Hauser’s family or the public, according to search warrants.
“When asked how he learned Hauser was killed, Perry provided a materially false statement,” a detective wrote. “Perry adamantly denied being intimately involved with the decedent and called him a [homophobic slur].”
Perry initially wouldn’t give police a timeline of where he’d been when Hauser was killed, but later said he’d last seen Hauser three or two days before he was found dead, according to the warrants.
“Perry then said he worked all morning (10/13/2025) alone in his yard burning leaves and could not recall what he did that afternoon,” search warrants state. “When asked if his DNA or fingerprints would be found in the decedent’s room, Perry contradicted his earlier statement and admitted being in the victim’s room Monday morning, 10/13/2025.”
Perry claimed he’d woken Hauser up to take him to court, but left a few minutes later without him, then returned around noon and spoke with him again, according to the search warrant.
“However, [Hauser’s roommate] and all other residents of [the home] said the last time they saw the decedent was Saturday afternoon, 10/11/2025,” the warrant says.
Police discovered burned towels at Perry’s Raleigh home, according to a search warrant; it’s not clear if they were the same type of bloodied towels found in the pick-up truck.
Two days after Perry’s arrest, his wife filed a petition in Wake County court to have him deemed incompetent of taking care of himself, court records show. The petition states Perry has dementia and “lacks [the] ability to make sound decisions.”
Perry’s wife later withdrew that petition Nov. 13 after discovering she had power of attorney, according to a court document.
Perry remained in jail without bail as of Thursday afternoon. His next court date has yet to be scheduled.
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 9:59 AM.
