By admin 
BULLHEAD CITY (AZFamily) — Newly released police body camera video shows the moment officers arrested a murder suspect who had been on the run for more than 30 years.
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Investigators say 64-year-old James Lawhead Jr. had been hiding in plain sight in Bullhead City, living at a home owned by his sister. He is now charged in the 1991 murder of Cindy Wanner in California.
Lawhead was taken into custody last month in front of the home. His own roommate had no idea who he was really living with and did not even know Lawhead’s real name.
The arrest
Body camera video shows officers confronting Lawhead outside the home.
“Put your hands up. Put them on the roof,” an officer said.
Lawhead’s truck was surrounded outside the home before he was eventually taken into custody.
Law enforcement then searched the home, clearing every room and closet.
Living under a fake name
DNA evidence now links Lawhead to the 1991 murder of Cindy Wanner near Sacramento, California. Decades later, investigators tracked him to Bullhead City, living under the fake name “Vincent Reynolds.”
During the search, Lawhead’s roommate showed up. The man had no idea he had been living with a convicted sex offender and murder suspect for years.
“How long have you known him for?” an officer asked.
“Since 2020,” the roommate said.
“He’s never opened up to me about anything,” the roommate said.
Keeping distance by design
Forensic psychologist Dr. John De La Torre said that kind of distance is not an accident. Fugitives often keep roommates at arm’s length to stay hidden.
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“It’s absolutely possible that you could spend years living with someone and never really know who they are,” De La Torre said.
“So it just shows that even a roommate may not even know who they’re living with,” De La Torre said. “The roommate has to want to get to know who they’re living with.”
De La Torre said the alias Lawhead was using likely also helped keep him from cracking about his past, because in his mind, his new name is not tied to the murder.
Lawhead is scheduled to be back in court next month.
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