A Nevada man has been charged with first-degree murder following a brutal stabbing at a Smithfield hotel that left a local woman dead. Authorities say a severed finger left behind at the crime scene led to the suspect’s identification.
On Monday, Mar. 17, 2025, at approximately 12:30 p.m., the Smithfield Police Department responded to an emergency call reporting a stabbing at the Baymont Inn, located at 125 S. Equity Drive. Officers arrived to find 62-year-old Sandra Omary Juarez, a longtime Smithfield resident, suffering from multiple stab wounds.
Despite immediate life-saving efforts from first responders, Juarez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police quickly secured the area and began collecting evidence. A severed finger, allegedly belonging to the attacker, was found inside the victim’s motel room.
Investigators with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) used fingerprint analysis to positively identify the suspect as 49-year-old Eric Jonathan Nelson, of Henderson, Nevada. According to reports, Nelson allegedly entered Juarez’s room — which was open as she prepared lunch for hotel staff — and launched a violent, unprovoked attack. During the assault, he reportedly severed his own finger.
After fleeing the scene, Nelson triggered a multi-state manhunt. Using surveillance footage, witness statements, and license plate data from the Flock Safety camera system, authorities tracked Nelson’s vehicle traveling north on Interstate 95.
Later that same day, he was apprehended near Emporia, Virginia, and taken into custody at Southside Regional Jail, where he awaits extradition to North Carolina.
Smithfield Police Chief Pete Hedrick described the attack as “extremely violent” and “unprovoked,” adding that the evidence left behind by Nelson — especially his severed finger — was critical in solving the case so quickly.
“This was a senseless act of violence,” Hedrick said in a press statement. “The physical evidence, along with help from technology and community witnesses, gave us exactly what we needed to take this suspect off the streets.”
The investigation is ongoing. The Smithfield Police Department urges anyone who may have had recent contact with Nelson, or who has additional information about the case, to call 919-934-2121.
