By Bob Kalinowski
The Citizens鈥� Voice
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. 鈥� Prosecutors have launched a manhunt against a man accused of fatally beating and shooting a woman before burning her body along a roadside last month, Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce announced Monday.
Authorities filed charges of homicide, abuse of corpse, and tampering with evidence against Terence Leroy Ray, whose last known address was 137 Muir Ave. in Hazleton.
Ray has fled the area and should be considered armed and dangerous, Sanguedolce said, advising that the suspect should not be approached by the public.
The 55-year-old is accused of murdering Jessica Lockwood, 39, a volunteer firefighter, ambulance technician and mother of two on April 27 in Hazleton.
Police say Lockwood had been suffering from chronic pain from neck surgeries and had been purchasing painkiller pills from Ray.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the only relationship we know of,鈥� Sanguedolce said.
Sanguedolce said investigators believe they know why Ray killed Lockwood.
鈥淲e have a theory we are not prepared to make public yet,鈥� Sanguedolce said.
Lockwood鈥檚 bloodied, naked body was located on fire along Club 40 Road in Hazleton around 7 a.m. on April 27, a day after she was reported missing after failing to pick up her juvenile son.
A search of her cell phone 鈥� which was located along Route 424 using a tracking app on her son鈥檚 phone 鈥� determined the last person Lockwood was in contact with was someone she saved in her phone as 鈥淥g.鈥�
Lockwood and 鈥淥g鈥� exchanged several text messages on April 26 presumably about buying drugs until her last known communication when she wrote, 鈥淗ere. I have to get my son,鈥� police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause that was filed April 29, but only unsealed on Monday.
Investigators determined 鈥淥g鈥� to be Ray.
Authorities further confirmed 鈥淥g鈥� to be Ray after interviewing Lockwood鈥檚 husband, James, in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility. James Lockwood was sentenced earlier in April to one year in prison for shooting a gun at a jeep full of teenagers who were caught trespassing on the property of the Harwood Volunteer Fire Company in Hazle Twp., where he and his wife were members.
James Lockwood said his wife had been purchasing painkillers from 鈥淥g鈥� and she developed an addiction. He said he always accompanied his wife to the transactions in an alley behind Ray鈥檚 house prior to him being sentenced to prison.
Police say they confirmed Ray is prescribed Percocet pills from a doctor.
During a search of Ray鈥檚 apartment, police found pools and trails of blood throughout the home and in garbage cans in the backyard, police said.
They also found one of Lockwood鈥檚 gold-plated diamond earrings, police said. She was only wearing one when her partially charred body was located.
An autopsy determined Lockwood was shot in the upper right chest and was badly beaten, leading to broken ribs, a shattered clavicle and head trauma.
Police said they reviewed license plate detectors at the entrance to Club 40 Road and a Ford Explorer registered to Ray鈥檚 wife was the last vehicle to enter and leave the road minutes prior to Lockwood鈥檚 body being spotted on fire.
It has been confirmed Ray鈥檚 wife was in upstate New York at the time, police said.
When investigators visited Lockwood in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility to inform him about his wife鈥檚 death, he said he had called 鈥淥g鈥� after his wife went missing.
鈥淥g鈥� said she never showed up at a prearranged meeting and he didn鈥檛 know where she is, police said.
Police said they also spoke to a confidential informant who said she spoke to Ray hours after the reports that a woman鈥檚 body was found on fire in Hazleton.
鈥淚 (expletive) up bad. I won鈥檛 see you guys again,鈥� Ray reportedly said.
Since that conversation, calls to Ray鈥檚 cell phone go straight to voicemail, police said.
Sangurdolce said authorities are committed to bringing Ray to justice and are seeking the public鈥檚 help in locating him.
鈥淲e are far from the end of the road on this case,鈥� Sanguedolce said.
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