Escort website, prison inmate tied to cold case of Florida woman’s burned body, cops say

A new twist has developed in a 2015 cold case that links an escort service to a pregnant mom found burned beyond recognition in a Florida cemetery, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

The man suspected of killing 22-year-old Shaquierra Elaine Pinckney has been identified, and he was already behind bars.

Lorzenzo Benjamin Hudson, 42, was set to be released in December, after serving five years “for a slew of burglary and grand theft charges,” the sheriff’s office said in an April 11 news release.

Not any more, though.

Hudson was indicted April 10 on charges that include: “capital felony murder, capital felony murder of an unborn child, second-degree felony abuse of a dead body and third-degree felony tampering with physical evidence,” officials said.

“When she was discovered by mortuary workers preparing to dig a grave at Gethsemane Baptist Church cemetery, Pinckney’s body was burned beyond recognition and detectives were unable to establish an identification,” the sheriff’s office said.

“During an autopsy, the medical examiner discovered Pinckney was about four months pregnant.”

“Distinct tattoos” eventually linked the body to a missing person’s case in Daytona Beach, officials said. Pinckney, a mother of two young children, had gone missing after leaving her parents’ home on Aug. 30, 2015, investigators says.

Her burned body was found four days later, on Sept. 3, officials said.

“Pinckney was known to access and place photos and advertisements on an escort section of a then-popular adult website,” the sheriff’s office said. “It is believed Hudson also utilized the website to solicit sex and that is how the pair met.”

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office has not released specifics on how Hudson was tied to the body. He is also believed to be the person who abandoned Pinckney’s car in St. Johns County, officials said.

“Hudson was a suspect pretty early on, but with developments in technology we were able to without a doubt link him,” Public Information Officer Allison Waters-Merritt told McClatchy News.

“Unfortunately that is part of the case that will have to play out in court as its part of the state attorney’s investigation and why they brought this case to a grand jury. At the end of the day, its not enough for us to just make an arrest, we want a conviction.”

Putnam County Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach called the case “complicated,” due to the multiple jurisdictions.

“We had a missing person in Daytona Beach, then we discovered Ms. Pinckney’s remains in a remote cemetery here in Putnam, then her vehicle was found in St. Johns County,” he said in the release.

“Despite attempts by the suspect to confuse detectives, we were determined to find justice for Ms. Pinckney, her unborn child and her family. The case went cold, but I am so proud of the work done by not only our detectives, but the state attorney’s office in securing an indictment. We never gave up.”

This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Escort website, prison inmate tied to cold case of Florida woman’s burned body, cops say."