Arrest Affidavit Sheds More Light on a Smith County Murder

TYLER – Three persons are in custody in the murder of Luis Martinez, 62, of Tyler. His body was found in a cemetery in the Antioch Community. The arrest affidavit says one of the suspects, Laurie Stone Perry, 56, of Chandler, said she saw Rebecca Bond, 37, of Tyler, kill Martinez with a .22 rifle. She is said to have shot him multiple times on or about September 15. According to Perry, she put on latex gloves and broke down the murder weapon while Bond and Stanton L. Pearce, 52, of Tyler, moved the body to an unknown location. She said after two hours, Bond returned to the home and told Perry she had lost communication with Pearce.

Stanton later called and told Perry to pick him up off Highway 271 near a game room. Perry picked him up and returned to the home, where Pearce began cleaning up the scene. Perry told investigators Pearce collected shell casings, ripped out the wall to locate bullets and cleaned up blood. Perry also told detectives where the victim’s body, wrapped in a blue tarp, could be found.

The two women were first arrested in the case. It took a manhunt of over 24 hours to locate Pearce. Sheriff’s deputies arrested him in the Jackson Heights Community off Farm Road 2767.

All Three remain in the Smith County Jail on murder charges. The bond for both Perry and Bond is $250,000. The Bond for Pearce is $500,000.