On the evening of December 4, 2024, Roanoke police responded to a shooting at the Affordable Corporate Suites in the 4800 block of Lanford Street NW. Officers arrived about 6:50 p.m. and found 32-year-old Rafael Perez Naranjo, a Latino man, unresponsive outside one of the rooms. He had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:01 p.m.

An autopsy determined a single bullet entered his shoulder and passed through his heart.Heavily investigated by detectives who collected evidence, reviewed surveillance and phone records, the case was directed toward two suspects: Juan Quontell Welton and his girlfriend, Joanna Lee Felts. Felts later cooperated with investigators, led them to the buried pistol used in the shooting, and agreed to testify against Welton under an immunity agreement. At trial in October 2026, Felts testified that she had arranged to meet Perez Naranjo that night as a client, that Welton accompanied her, and that Welton approached Perez Naranjo in the parking lot, grabbed his shirt and shot him.

The jury found Welton guilty of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of murder.Questions for readers who knew Perez Naranjo or have information about the case are welcome.