Homicide Hunter: American Detective is investigating the murder of Lisa Rhonda Spence, who was stabbed multiple times by her partner, Paul Edwards, at their home in Miramar, Florida.
The police believe that on October 7, 2009, Edwards stabbed and slashed 35-year-old Spence up to 33 times. He also beheaded her and stuffed the body into a barrel, which he dumped in a field in northern Miami-Dade County.
Edwards then tried to hide his crime by using her cellphone to send messages to Spence’s family and friends. The messages claimed Spence had left town and got a new job in the Jacksonville area.
However, family and friends were instantly concerned because Spence never sent texts, always preferring to talk instead. She also missed out on speaking to her daughter back in her native Trinidad on her 18th birthday.
Investigators would later learn using cell phone data that Spence’s phone never left Edwards’s possession in the two months between the murder and his arrest.
The cops suspected Edwards may have abducted or killed her; the investigators learned that Spence had wanted to move out and end the relationship. The week she died, Spence had hoped to move her belongings out of the apartment, but she had been unwilling to do so because Edwards had called in sick all week.
Cops caught Paul Edwards for Lisa Spence murder using text messages
The clever police had Spence’s cellphone number assigned to a new phone, which they used to text Edwards. The message read, “Just wait til I got better.” The text had the desired effect: It rattled the killer enough that he revisited the crime scene.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe cops had Edwards under surveillance, so they followed him to a number of locations in south Florida, one of which led to cadaver dogs recovering Spence’s remains. Spence’s head was never recovered.
A friend of the couple later told the cops that they had seen the barrel that contained Spence’s remains in Edwards’s apartment. The barrel had previously been used to ship items to Trinidad.
Paul Edwards convicted of killing Lisa Spence
Edwards was eventually convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is currently housed in the Cross City Corrections Department facility in Cross City, FL.
The detectives on the case were subsequently awarded for their ingenuity in capturing Edwards. They received second runner-up in the International Association of Chiefs of Police Award for Excellence in Criminal Investigations.
Homicide Hunter: American Detective airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.