North Carolina, Durham Police Department (DPD) is investigating a fatal stabbing that happened on Tuesday afternoon in the 400 block of Crutchfield Street that involved a Kenyan in the Diaspora.
Police said the officers responded to a disturbance with a weapon call just after 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday and upon arrival they discovered that June Onkundi had been stabbed.
Onkundi was rushed to the hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
The suspect, James Gomes, was still on scene when police officers arrived and was immediately taken into custody.
Gomes, 47, is facing a first-degree murder charge.
The Kenya Times has learnt that on Wednesday, WRAL News spoke with a family member of Onkundi, who said she loved her job as a mental health nurse practitioner.
The family member said Onkundi was on the job and that Gomes was her patient.
Repeated Offender
Gomes is due back in court on November 9th for a probable-cause hearing.
According to reports, Gomes has spent more than one-third of his life behind bars.
On Wednesday, a prosecutor in court noted Gomes has had five previous convictions; each of them related to violence against women.
This contributed to the judge’s decision to deny Gomes bail and keep him behind bars with no bond. He will however be assigned a public defender.
DPD: Stabbing Circumstances Unknown
The circumstances of the stabbing remain unknown according to the Durham Police Department.
Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator A. Bongarten at +1 (919) 560-4440, ext. 29529 or CrimeStoppers at +1 (919) 683-1200.
CrimeStoppers pay cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.
Gomes Violent History
In July 2006, Gomes was convicted of first-degree attempted rape, and second-degree kidnapping. In March 2005, when working as a janitor at Merrick-Moore Elementary School in Durham, he tried to rape his coworker, with a knife to her throat, according to WRAL.
Court records show Gomes was released from prison in July 2018.
In March 2019, police said Gomes committed more crimes. He was charged with kidnapping, assault on a female and assault by strangulation. He got out of prison on those charges only four months ago.
This story first appeared on WRAL.