Ryan Camacho is charged with murder and felony burglary in the death of longtime Ravenscroft teacher Zoe Welsh.

RALEIGH, N.C. — A man accused of killing a longtime private school teacher in her Raleigh home told detectives he had beaten “the lady I killed” with a rock, according to a newly released warrant in the murder case.

The warrant adds new detail to a case that has unsettled a Raleigh school community and raised fresh scrutiny of a suspect with a long court record and documented mental health concerns. Ryan Vincent Camacho, 36, is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree burglary in the Jan. 3 death of Zoe Welsh, 57, a Ravenscroft School science teacher.

Police said Welsh called 911 at 6:33 a.m. from her home at 819 Clay Street after hearing glass break and finding a man inside the residence. The call began as a burglary report, but investigators said the emergency quickly turned violent while Welsh remained on the line with dispatchers. Officers arrived and found her with life-threatening injuries. They gave aid until paramedics took her to a local hospital, where she died despite lifesaving efforts. Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce said after the arrest that Welsh’s death caused “unimaginable trauma” for her family and affected the wider city. He also praised responding officers, saying their quick work led to the suspect’s arrest.

The probable cause warrant, which appeared in the Wake County court docket in April, says Camacho made incriminating statements during an interview with Raleigh police detectives. Investigators wrote that he asked whether the questioning was about “the lady’s head I bashed in with a rock” and referred to “the lady I killed.” The document says the statements showed Camacho knew details about the killing. Police have said Welsh recognized the man in her home from seeing him before at Fred Fletcher Park, which is across the street from her Clay Street residence. Authorities have not announced a motive or said why Welsh’s home was targeted.

The morning search for the suspect moved quickly through the neighborhood near Fletcher Park. A police dog tracked the trail to an apartment about half a mile from Welsh’s home, according to the warrant. Officers found a broken window at the apartment and found Camacho inside with blood on his hands, investigators wrote. The warrant says Camacho previously lived in that apartment before being evicted. Other reports from the investigation say officers seized clothing, including items believed to have blood on them, and recovered a rock that investigators believe was used in the assault. Police also briefly detained another man during the early stages of the case, but that person was released.

Welsh had worked at Ravenscroft School for nearly two decades and was described by the school as a central figure in its Upper School Science Department. The school said in a statement after her death that its community was devastated by the loss of a colleague, friend and teacher. “Zoe has been a cornerstone of our Upper School Science Department and the Ravenscroft community for years,” the school said. Ravenscroft said it offered grief counseling and support for students, faculty and staff as classes resumed after the killing. Welsh taught biology and was remembered by colleagues and students as a steady presence in the classroom and a mentor to many.

Court records and local reporting show Camacho had been arrested repeatedly in Wake and Durham counties over roughly 20 years. His record included breaking and entering cases, property crimes, a 2019 conviction involving shooting into occupied property and a 2021 prison escape. In 2025, he faced several felony charges in Durham County that were later reduced through a plea agreement to a misdemeanor breaking and entering charge. He was jailed in July 2025 and released in August 2025. He was also arrested in Wake County later that year. Those earlier cases have drawn attention because some involved break-ins and court questions about his ability to proceed.

Mental health records cited in court filings are also now part of the public discussion around the case. A 2019 court filing described Camacho as previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and said he had reported auditory hallucinations and paranoia. Other court documents said he had a history of involuntary commitments. In December 2025, weeks before Welsh was killed, prosecutors sought to have Camacho involuntarily committed after a competency evaluation in unrelated misdemeanor cases. District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said a judge denied that request after finding Camacho did not meet the legal threshold for commitment, which requires evidence of imminent danger to himself or others.

The new warrant places the homicide investigation on a more detailed evidentiary track. Prosecutors have the 911 call, statements attributed to Camacho, the physical evidence seized from locations near Clay Street and the prior identification Welsh gave while speaking with dispatchers. Defense issues remain unresolved. Camacho’s competence to stand trial in the murder case had not been finally determined, and a forensic evaluator wrote in March that she could not determine his capacity to proceed in other unrelated cases. Camacho remains in the Wake County Detention Center without bond while the first-degree murder case moves through Superior Court.

The case has also focused attention on the small area around Clay Street, Whitaker Mill Road and Fred Fletcher Park. Police said they believed Camacho may have been sleeping in or near the park before Welsh was killed, though investigators could not determine for how long. In the six months before the attack, officers handled several calls at the park and made dozens of security checks there. Welsh’s home sat close enough to the park that she told dispatchers she had seen the man before. That detail became one of the earliest links between the emergency call and the later arrest.

Boyce said Welsh was a mother, friend and mentor whose death was felt beyond her family. Ravenscroft’s statement made the same point in school terms, saying her loss was deeply felt by those who worked with her and learned in her classroom. The criminal case now turns on what investigators can prove in court, including the meaning of Camacho’s alleged statements, the physical evidence collected by police and any findings on his competency. His next listed court appearance was set for April 30.

Author note: Last updated May 6, 2026.