June 2 update:
On June 1, police arrested and charged Johnathan Daniel Villanueva-Galer, 19, with murder in connection to the death of James Lacy Taylor, 69. According to WRAL, police also charged a 16-year-old connected to the death. Because the individual is underage, their name and other information were not released.
According to a WolfAlert sent June 2, the investigation remains ongoing.
May 30 update:
Raleigh police arrested and charged Maria Elizabeth Pena-Echeverria, 18, with murder on May 30 for the death of James Lacy Taylor, 69.
The investigation remains ongoing, according to a WolfAlert sent on May 30. In the update, University Police encouraged anyone with information about the case to contact NC State Police at 919-515-3000 or Raleigh Police at 919-831-6311.
Original Story
On May 28, University Police received a report of a homicide at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, according to a WolfAlert sent overnight on May 29. The cemetery is located near University-owned Schenck Forest. The investigation is still ongoing.
According to WRAL, officers found a man “seriously hurt” in the cemetery at 10 p.m., and the man later died at the hospital.
According to the WolfAlert, witnesses reported seeing three individuals leave the scene: a woman, a Hispanic man and another man wearing a hooded sweatshirt. The suspects left the scene in two vehicles: a lifted pickup truck and a four-door brown or blue sedan. Both vehicles were traveling toward Reedy Creek Road.
In the WolfAlert, University Police urged students to take precautionary measures to keep themselves safe such as walking in groups at night, looking assertive and aware, and not wearing earbuds when walking alone.
