RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Ten months after Deborah Dunton was found dead in her home with a grocery bag over her head, the man who killed her has been arrested, Riviera Beach police said.
Terrell Strain, 21, was indicted by a grand jury Thursday, charged with first-degree murder while engaged in a robbery and armed burglary of an occupied dwelling.
Riviera Beach police announced the murder suspect's arrest during a news conference Thursday morning, praising the investigative efforts of detectives and the state attorney's office to help bring justice to Dunton's family.
Dunton, 69, was found dead inside her home at the Bedrock Ocean Tide community on Pine Ridge Drive on June 5, 2022.
"This was definitely one of the most brutal investigations that I've myself investigated," lead Detective Kyle Culver said, declining to elaborate on the condition of Dunton's body.
WATCH: Riviera Beach police announce arrest of murder suspect
However, the probable cause affidavit revealed that Dunton was found in a bedroom with a white Walmart grocery bag over her head, "which appeared to have been tightened around the neck area."
The report went on to say that Dunton was naked from the waist down and that multiple pillows were placed on top of her body, several of which contained blood.
A neighbor discovered Dunton's body after he became concerned that she hadn't come over to help take care of some stray cats as she did every morning.
After investigators removed the bag from Dunton's head, they discovered her face had "been badly beaten" and that she had "multiple stab wounds to her lower abdomen."
Culver said Strain stole about $1,000 from Dunton's home, calling it a "crime of opportunity."
Strain had already been in jail on unrelated charges.
According to the affidavit, Strain was interviewed by detectives in jail and admitted that he knew Dunton because she would cook for him.
Police obtained a warrant to retrieve a DNA sample from Strain, which was submitted to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office forensic laboratory for testing. Results from the DNA test revealed that his DNA profile was located on the blood-stained pillow initially lying on top of Dunton's body.
