Arrest made in Perry case
By CHRIS GAROFOLO / Reformer Staff
Wednesday July 14, 2010
BRATTLEBORO -- A Florida man was arrested last week for the slaying of a former Brattleboro resident known for his work on the popular cartoon series Thundercats.
James W. Davis, 45, was taken into custody by Zephyrhills police on July 7 for allegedly killing 56-year-old Stephen J. Perry. Davis and his wife, Roxanne D. Davis, 49, were sharing an Eighth Avenue apartment in the Florida city with Perry, who went missing in early May.
Perry, recognized for two 1980s cartoon series -- Thundercats and Silverhawks -- lived in Brattleboro while working at Moondance Comics (now closed) in Harmony Lot and later at Video Headquarters in Keene, N.H.
In a previous interview with the Reformer, friends of Perry, Stephen R. Bissette and Alan B. Goldstein, remembered his time in Brattleboro fondly and recalled a creative, interesting man who oftentimes had financial issues. He also met his wife (now divorced) during his few years in southern Vermont.
At the time of his abduction and subsequent murder, Perry was battling potentially terminal bladder cancer. He was diagnosed with the cancer in March 2009, fighting poverty and his illness without health insurance.
According to a press release from Zephyrhills Police Chief David Shears, authorities served an arrest warrant on Davis after more than 50 days of investigation. Davis, already in custody since May 21 at the Pasco County Jail on an unrelated charge, was a person of interest early in the case.
"I wish to express my condolences to the family of Stephen Perry and assure them that we have worked tirelessly to bring to justice the person responsible for the murder of their loved one," said Shears.
On May 16, police located Perry’s van abandoned with a severed arm in the proximity of the vehicle. It was later confirmed the body part belonged to Perry (police estimate the homicide took place around May 10).
Zephyrhills police collaborated with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to recover evidence at Perry’s ransacked apartment, upgrading his disappearance as an apparent homicide.
Through the assistance of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, police discovered human remains the afternoon of June 2 at the Wesley Chapel off Foamflower Boulevard in Zephyrhills. Those remains were later determined to belong to Perry. Evidence at the scene linked Davis to the alleged murder.
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