Woman shot dead while walking on trail in Nashville; suspect recognized as twin brother from different case
A woman was shot to death while walking on a trail in Nashville, and police said they arrested her suspected killer Tuesday and charged the man with her murder. To identify him, authorities followed an unusual trail of clues that ended with one detective recognizing the suspect as the identical twin of someone involved in a case three years ago.
Alyssa Lokits, 34, was found dead from a gunshot wound Monday in an overgrown area of the Mill Creek Greenway, a nature trail in the Antioch neighborhood, the Nashville Police Department said. Their investigation revealed Lokits was exercising on the trail when a man emerged from between two parked cars and started to follow her.
Witnesses reported hearing her scream, "Help! He's trying to rape me," before hearing gunfire, according to police. The suspect was apparently seen where Lokits' bonear dy was found, and, shortly after, returning to his own car with scratches on his arms and blood on his clothing.
The suspect was seen following Lokits in video footage that also showed him returning to his car with cuts and bloodied clothing. Nashville Police said the footage came from the dash camera of a local resident whose car was parked in that area. The footage gave police clear images of the suspect and his vehicle, a BMW sedan, while a witness partially recalled his license plate number, they said.
A homicide detective reviewed the images Tuesday morning and identified the suspect, after recognizing him as the identical twin brother from a suicide case that she had worked in December 2021, police said.
Detectives with the police department's homicide and special investigations division issued an arrest warrant charging the suspect, 29-year-old Paul Park, with criminal homicide.
Officers had set up surveillance at Park's home and took him into custody as soon as the warrant came down. They stopped him while he was out driving, just miles from the greenway where Lokits was killed.
Park was booked on the homicide charge and is currently being held in the Davidson County jail, records show. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday.
Lokits lived near the greenway and worked in IT and cybersecurity, CBS News affiliate WTVF reported. She was shot once in the head and rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she died, according to the station.