By Staff
Staff Reports
Deputies from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office arrested a third suspect Monday in the Oct. 7 beating death of Leonard Alfred Willson III of Bath.
Domonic Kidean Farrow, 23, of Mapletown Lane in Swan Quarter was arrested by Lt. Jamie Cahoon with assistance from Hyde County Probation and Parole Officers. Farrow was charged with murder for his alleged involvement in the death of Willson. Farrow was held in the Beaufort County Detention Center without bond.
Arturo Lopez-Perez, 16, and Martel Deval Weston, 22, both from Belhaven, are already facing murder charges in the case.
On Oct. 7, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a report of a deceased man at 115 S. Main St., Bath, where they located the body of Willson, 53. During a search of the crime scene, investigators determined that the death was a homicide. Willson was a paraplegic and had lived in Bath approximately 15 years. He could frequently be seen cycling in and around Bath on his recumbent handcycle.
Preliminary results from the autopsy indicated that Willson’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. As investigators worked multiple leads, Beaufort County Crime Stoppers received a tip indicating a possible suspect. Investigators identified the suspect and set up surveillance on his residence.
On Oct. 14, a search warrant was obtained and served at Lopez-Perez’s residence in Belhaven. At approximately 11 p.m., investigators learned that Lopez-Perez had been arrested by the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office for resist, delay, and obstructing a public officer. As a result of information collected during the investigation, Lt. Cahoon applied for and obtained a warrant charging Lopez-Perez with murder. Lopez-Perez was held in the Beaufort County Detention Center without bond.
Investigators then applied for and obtained a search warrant for the home and vehicle of a second suspect. On Oct. 15, deputies and investigators with the Sheriff’s Office served the search warrant and arrested Weston, who was also charged with murder and was held in the Beaufort County Detention Center without bond.
The investigation is on-going and investigators have recovered items stolen from the murder scene. Additional charges are expected against Lopez-Perez, Weston and Farrow.