Suspect in Palm City homicide arrested at West Palm Beach restaurant

Mauricio La Plante, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·2 min read

MARTIN COUNTY — Martin County sheriff's deputies and a U.S. Marshals task force arrested the suspect in a Palm City homicide Wednesday night at a West Palm Beach Hooters restaurant, Martin County sheriff's officials said.

James Stephenson, 61, faces a charge of second-degree murder and is in custody at the Martin County Jail, said Christine Christofek, a Martin County sheriff's spokesperson. Second-degree indicates an intentional but unplanned killing.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office received information that Stephenson was at the restaurant and assisted in the arrest, according to an arrest affidavit.

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Martin County sheriff's deputies were searching for Stephenson, Capt. Ruben Romero said Wednesday afternoon, because he made phone calls to people he knew Tuesday night and told them he had just killed someone.

A Martin County Sheriff's Office vehicle (right) stands watch at a home along Southwest Honey Terrace on Wednesday, June 22, as the Martin County Sheriff's Office is investigating a homicide that was reported Tuesday evening.
A Martin County Sheriff's Office vehicle (right) stands watch at a home along Southwest Honey Terrace on Wednesday, June 22, as the Martin County Sheriff's Office is investigating a homicide that was reported Tuesday evening.

Stephenson said "he had killed somebody, and that he had killed somebody in the past," Romero said.

After being tipped off about the calls, deputies went to a property in the 4400 block of Southwest Honey Terrace in Palm City around 9 p.m. Tuesday where they said Stephenson was living.

After searching the area for any potential threats, deputies saw blood between the home's sliding door and bedroom door, Romero said.

Romero said this prompted deputies to enter the home where they found a woman's body in a bedroom.

Sheriff's officials identified her Thursday as Lorri Summer Wright, 49, of Texas.

Investigators found she had blunt-force trauma to her head and neck.

Capt. Ruben Romero (left) and Maj. John Cummings, both of the Martin County Sheriff's Office, on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, discuss a homicide in Palm City that was reported Tuesday evening on Southwest Honey Terrace. The suspect is considered to be armed and dangerous.
Capt. Ruben Romero (left) and Maj. John Cummings, both of the Martin County Sheriff's Office, on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, discuss a homicide in Palm City that was reported Tuesday evening on Southwest Honey Terrace. The suspect is considered to be armed and dangerous.

They released no other information about her.

Stephenson is not the owner of the home, officials said. The homeowner is listed on the Martin County Property Appraiser's website as Alan McPherson.

Neighbors passing by the home Wednesday afternoon said they were unaware of what happened on the prioperty or who lived there.

Stephenson was living in a trailer on the property, sheriff's officials said.

He was booked into jail Wednesday night on a $1 million bond, according to a jail official.

Stephenson will be represented by a public defender. The public defender's office said an attorney had not been appointed yet to represent him.

Mauricio La Plante is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm focusing on Martin County. Follow him on Twitter @mslaplantenews or email him at Mauricio.LaPlante@tcpalm.com

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Woman found dead in Palm City home: suspect arrested in West Palm Beach