JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — UPDATE: Man arrested in connection to death of Atlantic Coast HS teacher was once a talented quarterback with bright future
A 27-year-old man was arrested in connection with the recent death of an Atlantic Coast High School teacher.
Zebulon Perkins is facing a felony charge of dealing in stolen property. Police say he was found with a stolen vehicle that belonged to "V.J.," the victim who was found dead inside her home at 511 Glen Alan Court North on Dec. 28.
Known to family and friends as "V.J." - Vivian James, 49, was a science teacher at Atlantic Coast High School. Police have not confirmed the victim's identity but said foul play was suspected.
According to an arrest report, officers were called about a home invasion robbery at the home around 7:41 a.m. where they found the victim dead inside. The victim's vehicle, a 2007 Toyota Camry, was also missing at the time of the call.
The vehicle was located that day at Hospitality Inn & Suites, 7071 103rd St., where Perkins was reportedly seen throwing out items from the vehicle.
He then proceeded to leave the hotel and deputies conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, Perkins and his girlfriend, identified as Darnequa Bolden, were detained, according to police records.
Bolden told police Perkins picked her up and told her he bought the vehicle from a friend for $2,000. She said she questioned Perkins about why the vehicle was filled with another person's belongings, such as a Bible and makeup, police records state.
Police then interviewed Perkins who told them he bought the vehicle from Facebook, according to the arrest report.
JSO showed Perkins a picture of the victim's home and said he immediately recognized it. He told police he went to the home on Dec. 26 to talk about anxiety issues he'd been having with the victim, the arrest report states.
Several sources, including a close family friend, said Perkins was James' former neighbor. Neighbors said Perkins moved from the neighborhood a couple of years ago, and did handy work on James' home, including mowing her lawn and installing a camera security system.
"That shows you you can’t trust anyone. No one. You can’t trust anybody,” one neighbor said.
"She’s going to be greatly missed," that neighbor said, "I don’t think we will have another neighbor here like her. It’s not going to happen," he said.
At the hotel, detectives said they found the victim's driver's license in Perkins' room, as well as several of her belongings in the dumpster.
Perkins was arrested and charged with dealing in stolen property.
During his phone call to his stepfather, Perkins reportedly told him to "scrub" and "get rid of" two televisions and a monitor found in their garage, according to the arrest report. The stepfather refused and told him he'd cooperate with police.
On Dec. 29, police searched the victim's vehicle and found Perkins' bag, which contained a bloody pair of sweat pants, the Arlo camera from the victim's home and three laptops, according to the police report. Her cell phone and credit cards were also found during the search, police reported.
Perkins is now in the Duval County Jail and faces a bond of $100,000.
