Dead Body Found In Car Trunk; Florida Driver In 'Excited Delirium' Arrested

Authorities in Okaloosa County, Florida, have charged a 37-year-old man with murder after a dead body was discovered in the trunk of his car over the weekend, police said.

The Crestview Police Department charged Johnny Lee Akins Jr. over the death of 42-year-old James Matthews, of Holt, Saturday, according to a police statement released Sunday.

Members of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office found Akins "in a state of excited delirium" in his car near a gas station in the county, NorthEscambia.com reported. He was taken into custody after police allegedly found drugs in plain view in his vehicle and was transported to a local hospital, according to the outlet.

Authorities then ran a tag on Akins' car, and it was revealed that the owner of the vehicle was a suspect in a homicide case out of Crestview, police were cited as saying.

A further search of the vehicle revealed that Matthews' dead body was stored in the trunk, according to the police statement.

Akins allegedly shot and killed Matthews before transporting his body from a residence on East Walnut Avenue to Escambia County, where his car was later discovered partially on fire.

Akins was transported to the Escambia County Jail, where he was charged with the Crestview murder, police said. He is currently being held without bond and is awaiting extradition back to Okaloosa County.

A similar incident happened in North Carolina over a year ago when a 32-year-old registered sex offender was arrested after the body of a missing woman was found in the trunk of the car he was driving.

Lance Gordon, of Raleigh, was stopped by troopers of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for speeding in Edgecombe County on April 24, 2020. He was then taken into custody for an outstanding warrant for a felony probation violation.

Gordon had told officers that the car belonged to 47-year-old Angela Mac Lee, whom he claimed was an acquaintance from Holly Springs. Authorities, however, became suspicious after they failed to contact the supposed owner, which prompted a search for Lee.

A search of the vehicle Gordon was driving at the time of his arrest revealed that Lee's dead body had been stored in the trunk of the car.

Gordon was booked into the Wake County Detention Center following the discovery. He was charged with murder and felony larceny of a motor vehicle.