The murder case of Juan Carlos Diaz Perez has advanced to the Knox County Grand Jury. According to WVLT, Perez is accused of the brutal killing of Suceli Perez, his girlfriend and mother of a young child, in July of this year.
Details from the autopsy report, obtained by WVLT, revealed that Suceli Perez suffered "extensive chopping injuries" to her head and neck as well as strangulation leading to her death, a clear indication of homicide. KPD Detective Thomas Turner provided testimony, mentioning the crime scene's evidence, including blood spatter and "what appeared to be pieces of flesh in the driveway." Turner also discovered "a large machete" under the victim's body in the truck bed, consistent with the wounds she sustained.
In a preliminary hearing, Diaz Perez's bond was set at $250,000, and it was reported by WBIR that an immigration hold affected the bond amount. The hearing also revealed that Diaz Perez had contacted a relative in Honduras, confessing to killing his girlfriend and contemplating suicide, according to a warrant mentioned in testimony.
The Tennessee Conservative noted that detectives initially responded to reports of an assault at a home on Mercer Street but found no body. Suceli's body was later discovered in a white pickup truck, leading to a multi-agency manhunt and the eventual apprehension of Diaz Perez in Oak Ridge.
Throughout the proceedings, Diaz Perez has been represented with the aid of an interpreter, and the defense has suggested the possibility of self-defense, with evidence of a roofing knife being found on Suceli Perez. Despite this claim, Detective Turner told WBIR that Diaz Perez admitted to using a machete against Perez Cruz and offered varying explanations for his actions. The defense's attempts to call Knox County Medical Examiner Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan to discuss discrepancies in the reports on the number of injuries were denied by the judge on the grounds of irrelevance to probable cause.
