Lorena Capera Paz, 42, a native of Colombia and an employee at the AAF Flanders air filtration plant in Smithfield, North Carolina, was found dead from gunshot wounds in the plant parking lot in the early morning hours of June 25, 2026. Officers arrived about 5 a.m.; she was pronounced dead at the scene as her shift day was beginning for many colleagues.

Investigators quickly identified a suspect with witness assistance and arrested 39-year-old Jesus Bermudez, the victim’s husband, at his Smithfield home around 9 a.m. He was charged with first-degree murder and held without bail at the Johnston County Detention Center. Prosecutors said Bermudez confessed to the killing and that he had purchased the firearm days before; through an interpreter he told the judge he turned himself in and surrendered the gun. A motive has not been released.

Did anyone know Lorena’s routines at the plant or have information about the couple’s situation that could help investigators?