Grand Jury Indicts Smithfield Man In Wife’s Murder; ICE Detainer Filed

SMITHFIELD, N.C. — A Johnston County grand jury has formally indicted the Smithfield man accused of fatally shooting his wife outside her workplace last month, as newly released search warrants provide additional details about the investigation.

On July 13, the grand jury returned a true bill of indictment charging Jesus Antonio Tenorio Bermudez, 39, with one count of first-degree murder in the June 25 death of his wife, Zulman Lorena Capera Paz, 41.

The indictment moves the case forward in Johnston County Superior Court.

Newly unsealed search warrants obtained by JoCoReport reveal investigators searched Bermudez’s residence on Galilee Road and his 2018 Hyundai Tucson shortly after the shooting as they gathered evidence in the homicide investigation.

According to an affidavit filed by Smithfield Police Detective J.S. Carroll, officers were dispatched around 4:51 a.m. on June 25 to AAF Flanders at 2121 Wal-Pat Road after receiving a report of an injured person needing emergency assistance. Officers arrived and found Capera Paz suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of her head. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The affidavit states a witness told investigators that Bermudez shot Capera Paz before fleeing the parking lot. Detectives also noted the couple lived together at a residence on Galilee Road in Smithfield.

Search warrants authorized detectives to search the residence for evidence that could establish motive, planning or the circumstances surrounding the homicide.

According to the inventory filed with the warrant, investigators seized multiple items from the home, including a black cellular phone, identification documents, a journal, five rounds of live 9mm ammunition, and security cameras from the front porch and rear of the residence.

Police also obtained a warrant to search Bermudez’s 2018 Hyundai Tucson after investigators said he returned to the Galilee Road residence in the vehicle following the shooting. The SUV was seized and towed to the Smithfield Police Department for processing.

Evidence collected from the vehicle included a spent .380-caliber shell casing, swabs of suspected biological material from the driver’s seat, a dash camera with an SD card, an ATM receipt, a notepad, and electronic devices, according to the inventory.

Court records also indicate the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has lodged an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer against Bermudez, alleging he is unlawfully present in the United States.

Smithfield Police arrested Bermudez hours after the shooting at the Galilee Road residence. He has remained in the Johnston County Detention Center without bond since his arrest.

Investigators have previously described the shooting as an isolated domestic-related incident.