James Worley, 61, was found dead inside his North Jackson Street home on Jan. 20, police said. Worley was dead inside his home for more than 12 hours before a friend walked into the police station the afternoon of Jan. 20 to report they had found his body, according to a Springfield Police Division incident report.
Within 48 hours of finding Worley dead in his home, detectives had narrowed Poe down to one of their main suspects in the case, Springfield Police Chief Stephen Moody said.
“We do believe we have the primary offender in this case, but this case is far from over,” Moody said.
“The detectives still have a lot of work to do and we’re talking with the prosecutors office about possibly more arrests in this case,” the chief added.
Worley died of multiple stab wounds and cuts, according to an autopsy report from the Clark County Coroner’s Office.
Ten stab wounds and other cuts were documented across Worley’s body during the autopsy, the report states.
Neighbors told police Poe and his wife, Terry Poe, had once lived with the victim in his North Jackson Street home, Moody said.
“There was a relationship there and that’s not unusual in crimes of violence we find that victims sometimes know the offender,” he said.
Raymond Poe also has an ongoing theft case in the Clark County Common Pleas court that involved crimes he allegedly committed against Worley in 2014, according to court records.
Terry Poe has also been charged with obstructing justice in the murder investigation. She has been accused of lying to police during their investigation of Worley’s death. She has pleaded not guilty, according to court records.
A knife believed to be used in the killing was found at the Poes’ South Shaffer Street home, Moody said.
“We’re working with the DNA lab at (State Bureau of Criminal Investigations) and it’s really important that that evidence is presented at trial,” Moody said.
Raymond Poe will be arraigned in a Clark County Common Pleas courtroom later this week. He is currently booked in the Clark County Jail on a parole violation, according to jail records.
Anyone who has more information on the case can contact Springfield police at 937-324-7680.
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