NC man charged with murder in housekeeper Paula Floyd's death back in Orange County

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A North Carolina man accused of stabbing his longtime housekeeper to death is back in Hillsborough to face a judge.

Matthew Vukmer, 53, was captured in Virginia just hours after the crime in March.

Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said deputies responded Friday, March 6 to a home on Running Pine Court, where they found 54-year-old Paula Floyd dead from stab wounds.

Vukmer's wife called 911 after hearing a commotion between the two. When she went to check, she found Floyd lying on the floor and by that time, Vukmer had left the area.

Who was Paula Floyd?

Investigators said Floyd worked for Vukmer as a longtime housekeeper.

She was described as deeply loved by her family and friends. Sheriff Blackwood said Floyd was a wife and mother whose death has had a profound impact on those who knew her.

Blackwood also said he received a call from former Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews, who attended church with Floyd.

"They talked about what a wonderful person she was. She was someone who touched many lives," Blackwood said. "It's a shame she lost her life in this way. She certainly leaves behind a legacy of goodness."

Where is Vukmer now?

Investigators formally served Vukmer with a first-degree murder charge that was issued on March 6. A magistrate ordered that he be held without bond in Virginia, which authorities say is standard in cases of this severity.

After waiving extradition earlier this week, Vukmer was transferred to North Carolina and is now being held at the Orange County Detention Center.

How Vukmer was captured

Sheriff Blackwood said investigators tracked Vukmer to a vacation cabin near Galax, Virginia, that was linked to him.

Within about five hours of the crime, members of the U.S. Marshals Service's Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force located Vukmer at the cabin and took him into custody.

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