PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla — The 2015 cold case murder of a 22-year-old Daytona Beach woman has been solved, according to law enforcement officials, with a murder indictment announced Tuesday.
The indictment for first-degree murder says 42-year-old Lorenzo Hudson killed Shaquierra Pinckney and left her naked, partially burned body in a rural Putnam County graveyard. Her body was discovered days later, on Sept. 3, 2015 by a pastor and two gravediggers.
Pinckney was pregnant at the time and left behind two young children.
"Her killer never intended for her body to be found. Her body badly burned beyond recognition," said Sheriff Homer 'Gator' DeLoach.
"He is now facing a total of four new charges to include capital felony murder, capital felony murder of an unborn child, second degree felony abuse of a dead body and third degree felony tampering with physical evidence."
The cold case investigation involved the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, the Daytona Beach Police Department and the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. A grand jury returned the indictment Monday.
Deputies say Pinckney was known to access and upload photos to an adult website. Hudson used the website to solicit sex and thats how they believe the pair met.
Deputies say her missing Honda Accord was found days later in St. Johns County, abandoned in the Flagler Estates area.
"We had a missing person in Daytona. Then, we discovered Ms. Pinckney's remains in a remote cemetery here in Putnam. Then, her vehicle was found in St. Johns County," DeLoach said.
Hudson has a lengthy criminal history and has been incarcerated since October 2018. Prior charges include burglary, drug possession, and fleeing and eluding police. He was previously expected to be released in December of this year.
An arrest report from Volusia County notes that an officer attempted to stop his car on Sept. 18, 2015, in part because Hudson was “a possible homicide suspect.” The vehicle then fled and Hudson eventually took off on foot into a home, the report says. He was later taken into custody.
Sheriff DeLoach says he believes Hudson acted alone. At this time, it's unclear if this will be pursued as a death penalty case. Officials say that decision will be made in the coming days. The sheriff says Hudson will be transferred from his current facility to the Putnam County Jail for arraignment and eventually trial. The victim's family members were at the sheriff's office Monday during the news conference but said they are too upset to speak to First Coast News.
First Coast News is working to learn why he was not charged at that time.
This is a developing story.
