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Murder Suspect Found By NorthEscambia.com Get 20 Years

A man arrested for murder after NorthEscambia.com spotted his getaway van returning to the scene of the crime pleaded guilty to manslaughter Thursday in Escambia County (Ala.) Circuit Court.

Clarence Luker, 38, will spend the next 20 years behind bars under a plea agreement reached with prosecutors for the murder of Kenneth Porter, 32, in September 2009. Lorraine Gray is also charged with murder in the case; her trial is scheduled  to begin Monday.

Porter was shot after a dispute at a trailer park on Nathan Road in Nokomis, Ala. He died about two hours later at a Mobile hospital. Luker and Gray fled the scene in a late model in a late 1980’s two-tone Ford Econoline van. Law enforcement agencies from Alabama and Florida were on the lookout for the van.

When NorthEscambia.com arrived at the murder scene about  to take a picture of the trailers were the incident occurred, all law enforcement personnel had been gone from the scene just a short period of time. After our photos were taken, NorthEscambia.com spotted the alleged getaway vehicle around the corner from the murder location, headed toward the murder scene.

When deputies arrived back on Nathan Road about 10 minutes later, they found Gray, the female suspect, in the van parked at the murder scenes. Deputies said she exited the van with her hands up and said “I’m the one you are looking for”.

She was taken into custody just before 11 p.m. and placed in the back of a patrol car. NorthEscambia.com was there as she made a complete confession to Sheriff Grover Smith, telling him that she shot Porter.

“I shot him,” she said. “I’m the one that did it….I took the gun and I shot him.”

Tracking dogs from Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore and the Century Correctional Institution were called to the scene to search for Luker. As the dogs began their search of the area, Luker was taken into custody about midnight near the intersection of Nathan and James Roads. His clothes were splattered with blood. Luker also admitted to deputies that he was the shooter.

For more exclusive photos from the scene, click here. For our September 25, 2009, story about the murder, click here.

Pictured top: NorthEscambia.com found the suspect’s getaway van returning to the scene of the crime Pictured top inset:  Murder suspect Clarence Luker was taken into custody Pictured middle inset: Escambia County (Ala.) Chief Deputy Mike Lambeth as the deputies searched for murder suspect Clarance Luker. Pictured bottom inset: Murder suspect Lorraine Gray speaks to Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff Grover Smith about the shooting of Kenneth Porter. NorthEscambia.com exclusive file photos, click to enlarge.