Orange County Man Charged With Murder After Stabbing Death of Woman

A 53-year-old Orange County man is facing a first-degree murder charge after deputies say he stabbed a woman to death inside his own home last week.

Matthew Jared Vukmer was arrested on March 6, 2026, after Orange County deputies responded to his residence in the Wyngate community, located southeast of Hillsborough, North Carolina. The victim, 54-year-old Paula Floyd, died from stab wounds sustained at the scene.

Vukmer was charged with first-degree murder, the most serious homicide charge under North Carolina law, carrying the possibility of life imprisonment or the death penalty upon conviction.

The Wyngate community sits in the southeastern corner of Orange County, a largely rural stretch outside Hillsborough, the county seat. The nature of the relationship between Vukmer and Floyd had not been publicly detailed as of this reporting, though the fact that the stabbing occurred at his residence places the crime squarely in the category of cases true crime followers know well: violence that unfolds not in public spaces, but behind closed doors, between people who, in most cases, already knew each other.

Investigators have not released additional details about the circumstances leading up to Floyd's death, the timeline of events that evening, or whether any witnesses were present. No information about a bail hearing or Vukmer's legal representation has been made public.

The case remains active as Orange County authorities continue their investigation.