Man charged in east Charlotte murder, kidnapping is also a suspect in Texas homicide
Police have charged a man accused of fatally shooting a woman in east Charlotte in January, and of kidnapping another man, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Thursday in a press release.
Quanticus Rucker, 33, was already in police custody on unrelated charges when police identified him as the suspect in the murder of Diana Perez-Barrera, 26.
Rucker has been charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree burglary, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
And, according to an affidavit, he may be connected to other murder cases, including one in Dallas, Texas.
Affidavit allegations
An affidavit filed in court alleges that when a man arrived at a residence on Turquoise Drive on Jan. 19, Rucker held him at gunpoint and forced him inside. Once inside, the affidavit said, Rucker shot and killed Perez-Barrera and stole $2,000 from a backpack.
He then demanded money from the male victim, the affidavit said. The male victim, who worked at an arcade gaming center, said he could get Rucker more money from his job.
Rucker forced the victim into the trunk of the victim’s 2010 Dodge Challenger at gunpoint, the affidavit said, and drove him to the arcade gaming center. Rucker allegedly made the victim call employees at the business and tell them to get money together before they arrived.
The victim was then forced to enter the business to get the money, the affidavit said. While inside, he told security about the robbery. Security guards then confronted Rucker in the parking lot and exchanged gunfire with him before he fled in the victim’s car.
Kannapolis police arrested Rucker the next day, Jan. 20, on a parole violation.
Kannapolis police were doing a homicide investigation at an arcade gaming center and Rucker was a suspect in that case as well, the affidavit said. An alleged associate was charged with killing a security guard at the arcade during a robbery attempt, according to the affidavit.
Police got a search warrant and seized a .45-caliber handgun from Rucker’s hotel room. During CMPD’s investigation into Perez-Berrera’s death, police found a single .45-caliber shell casing near her body.
Police test fired Rucker’s weapon and compared it to other casings in a database, and found it not only matched the one at Perez-Barrera’s home, but also a murder at a gaming arcade center in Dallas in September 2023, according to the affidavit.
On Aug. 29, Rucker was transferred from the N.C. Department of Adult Correction to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
