Insets, left to right: Zoe Welsh (LinkedIn) and Ryan Camacho (Raleigh police). Background: Police investigate after Camacho allegedly killed Welsh after breaking into her home (WRAL/YouTube).
A North Carolina man accused of murdering a beloved teacher after breaking into her home made startling admissions during an interview with police investigators, a newly released warrant claims.
"Is this about the lady's head I bashed in with a rock," 37-year-old Ryan Camacho allegedly asked detectives, referring to the 57-year-old victim Zoe Welsh. "The lady I killed[?]"
Camacho is facing murder and felony burglary charges in Welsh's death. The probable cause warrant appeared in the Wake County court docket on April 8.
Cops responded around 6:30 a.m. Jan. 3 to a home in the 800 block of Clay Street in Raleigh after Welsh called 911 to say she heard glass break in her home and found a man "rifling through her kitchen." While speaking with dispatchers, the suspect began to assault Welsh, cops say.
Officers rushed to the home where they found Welsh with life-threatening injuries. They rendered aid until paramedics arrived and transported her to the hospital. Doctors pronounced her dead a short time later. It appeared Camacho broke in through a front window.
A police dog tracked the suspect to an apartment about half a mile away. Cops found a busted window in the apartment and found Camacho inside with blood on his hands. Cops later learned Camacho used to live in the apartment before he was evicted, the warrant said.
Camacho was taken into custody and later allegedly admitted to killing Welsh. It's unclear why Camacho targeted Welsh's home, although the victim did tell dispatchers she recognized the suspect after previously seeing him at Fred Fletcher Park, which sits across the street from her home.
Authorities have not detailed a possible motive for the murder. A forensic evaluator in a letter to the court said Camacho has "a history of diagnosed mental health problems."
As Law&Crime previously reported, Welsh was a beloved teacher who was the "cornerstone" at Ravenscroft, a private K-12 school. According to Welsh's LinkedIn page, she worked at the school for nearly two decades.
"The Ravenscroft community is devastated by the loss of our beloved colleague and friend Zoe Welsh," a spokesperson for the school told local ABC affiliate WTVD. "Zoe has been a cornerstone of our Upper School Science Department and the Ravenscroft community for years. Her loss is deeply felt by all of us who had the privilege of working with her and learning in her classroom."
Raleigh Police Chief Ricco Boyce released the following statement after Welsh's death:
I am deeply heartbroken for this mother, friend, and mentor to many in our community, and for the unimaginable trauma her family must endure. We extend our deepest sympathy to Ms. Welsh's family during this incredibly difficult time.
Whenever there is a loss of life in our community, it affects us all. As a department, we share in the sadness of this loss. The arrest of the suspect sends a strong message that criminal acts will not be tolerated in the City of Raleigh.
I am profoundly grateful for the dedication and professionalism of the responding officers, whose swift and diligent actions led to the quick apprehension of the suspect in this case.
Camacho is at the Wake County Detention Center without bond. He is slated to appear in court on April 30. North Carolina Department of Corrections records show Camacho has an extensive criminal history and spent more than five years in prison for discharging a firearm. He was released in July.
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