The remains of a woman from Rhode Island were discovered more than two years after she vanished, and the guy accused of her murder was apprehended.
Mark Perkins, 64, was arrested on Wednesday after the GPS data from his car was linked to the site of the skeletal remains of Charlotte Lester, 44, which were discovered on November 17 and identified by dental records. The Warwick Police Department claims that although they had been keeping an eye on Perkins from the start, they lacked the necessary evidence to make an arrest.
Police proof of Perkins’ actions in the days after Lester’s disappearance, which occurred around May 16, 2022, when her landlord reported her missing, was documented in court documents obtained by Providence NBC affiliate WJAR. According to the records, a convenience store employee noted that Perkins allegedly had bite and scratch marks on his arm and blood on his hands.
Perkins allegedly informed the witness that he had the blowout of the century with his lover, Lester, and that his home was a blood bath. Additionally, he told the witness, “I believe I killed her,” and the witness informed the authorities.
Days later, on May 20, police interviewed Perkins. They claimed that although his hands were swollen, he appeared composed and unconcerned about Lester’s absence. According to CBS affiliate WPRI, he allegedly informed the police that she had stopped contacting him and that he had no idea where she was.
Following their alleged investigation of Perkins’ home, Warwick police reported finding blood splatters on the walls, ceiling, door, and bedframe in addition to an apparently bloodstained shirt hanging on a clothesline above a bottle of bleach in the basement. According to reports, testing eventually revealed that the blood matched Perkins and most likely Lester because it matched Lester’s mother’s DNA profile.
According to the court filings, on May 16, 2022, the last day anyone saw Lester alive, Perkins followed her as she drove to another man’s house. According to reports, Perkins wrote Lester a text message that evening requesting that she come home from the other man’s place. According to reports, Perkins was captured on camera leaving his house in his truck on May 18, the day after he was allegedly seen covered in blood and bruises at the convenience store. Three hours later, the object was gone from his truck.
Investigators didn’t make the necessary connection until Lester’s skull was found. Police allegedly discovered that Perkins had visited the location where the skull was discovered four times in four months, twice in July 2022 and twice in October 2022, based on GPS tracking data on his truck. According to GPS data, Lester’s remains were purportedly within 1,000 feet of the location where Perkins pulled over during one of those excursions.
After being questioned about Lester’s disappearance, Perkins allegedly threatened a local radio personality with his lawnmower in August 2022, leading to his imprisonment on a totally unrelated charge.
Perkins was formally charged with first-degree murder at his arraignment in Kent County District Court. He is being jailed without bail and did not enter a plea.
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