Smithfield man to remain in jail after wife found shot to death in parking lot

A Smithfield man charged with first-degree murder will remain in the Johnston County jail without bail after the fatal shooting of his wife.

Jesus Bermudez was arrested Thursday after his wife, 45-year-old Lorena Capera Paz, was found fatally shot in the parking lot of AAF Flanders, an industrial plant in Smithfield.

A GoFundMe page, written in Spanish, said Capera Paz was a Colombian woman whose death may have followed an argument with her husband. Police have not confirmed a motive in the case.

During a hearing Friday, District Court Judge Joy Jones ordered that Bermudez remain in custody without benefit of bail.

Prosecutors argued he “poses a safety risk to the community” and is a “flight risk.” They said Bermudez bought a gun days before the shooting, fled after the homicide and that law enforcement records show he had previously been removed from the United States.

Court records show Bermudez was placed under a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer after the Department of Homeland Security determined there is probable cause he is removable from the U.S., stating he “either lacks immigration status or notwithstanding such status is removable under U.S. immigration law.”

The records also include an administrative warrant commanding his arrest for removal proceedings, and Judge Joy Jones said he will remain in custody for notification to ICE.

Prosecutors also told the court that Bermudez and the victim have a teenage son.

Defense counsel said Bermudez turned himself in to law enforcement after the shooting.

Bermudez began to explain, through a Spanish interpreter, that he had surrendered the gun and turned himself in before defense counsel advised him not to make any further statement.

The case was referred to the Capital Defender’s Office in Raleigh. Bermudez’s next court date is scheduled for July 16.