Man held on $1 million bond after stabbing death at Cushman

A charge of murder in the first degree has been filed in the Tuesday morning stabbing death of a Cushman woman.

Eli Benjamin Horace Ray (pictured below), 26, is currently being held in the Independence County Jail under a $1 million bond. The felony charge was filed this afternoon in Independence County Circuit Court.

According to the affidavit of probable cause for arrest, the Independence County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to a Third Street residence in Cushman on Sept. 13 regarding a domestic disturbance. Dispatch first informed deputies that a juvenile inside the home had reported a woman was badly hurt after being physically attacked by her boyfriend, identified in the affidavit as Ray.

The affidavit said a short time later Ray contacted 911 and told authorities he had killed Kayla Shannon Nichelle Lee, 29, and would be waiting for law enforcement to arrive.

Upon arrival, deputies discovered Ray in the residence’s front yard, laying on the ground with his hands behind his back. The affidavit said blood was observed all over Ray’s hands and arms. He was detained and secured in a patrol vehicle.

Deputies also noticed a juvenile with a small infant also in the yard, according to the affidavit. After the juvenile told deputies Lee was inside, Lee’s body was discovered in the living room with several puncture wounds and a knife on the floor.

During Ray’s post-Miranda interview, Ray told investigators a verbal argument occurred between him and Lee in the home’s living room. After telling the kids to go outside, Ray said the argument continued until Ray told the authorities, “I flat up snapped, and I killed her,” the affidavit said.

The knife found near Lee’s body was consistent with the description of a pocket knife Ray told authorities he had had in his pocket during the argument, according to the affidavit.

Image: Independence County Sheriff’s Department