It was Dec. 28, 2019, in Jacksonville, Florida, and detectives were pressing Zebulon Perkins on why he had the car of his slain former teacher, Vivian James. The suspect met them with a querulous tone, repeatedly denying any wrongdoing.

“I didn’t know this lady was dead until just now,” he said.

“That’s your friend?” a detective asked, sternly, as law enforcement was about to step out of the interrogation room.

“Miss Vivian? She would be my friend,” Perkins said.

“You know, I cry normally when my friends die,” the detective said.

“I couldn’t,” Perkins answered.

Perkins, 33, has since pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for killing not only James, but also Leah Kline in separate but related incidents. He is serving a 70-year prison sentence.  According to prosecutors, he got into an argument with Kline at a motel on Dec. 25, 2019.

“Perkins strangled Kline and threw her body in the dumpster,” they wrote in a statement when he pleaded guilty last year. He went to James’ home the next day, seeking advice from his former teacher. “When James told Perkins to turn himself in to the police, Perkins beat and strangled her with a cord.”

A friend found her body at the home on  Dec. 28, 2019. James’ car, a Toyota Camry, was missing. Detectives quickly tracked down the vehicle to the motel where Perkins was staying; he was in the middle of placing items inside. Investigators said they found his bag inside, and in that bag were bloodied sweatpants that had both her and his blood, according to an affidavit. The bag also had her laptops and her missing surveillance camera.

Leah Kline (State Attorney’s Office for the 4th Judicial Circuit)

Perkins nonetheless insisted on his innocence in those meetings with authorities. It was on Jan. 10, 2020, that a detective told Perkins they were charging him with murder.

His response was to ask why he could not leave.

“Because you’re being arrested for murder,” a detective said as law enforcement shut the door on him while they went to handle paperwork.

“No, I’m not,” he called out.

All alone in that room, he maintained his innocence, even going as far as to be disingenuous with God. As seen on surveillance footage, he fell to his knees and dropped his head to the floor in apparent distress and prayed.

“You know the truth,” he said. “You know the truth.”