Husband of Killed North Carolina Woman Diana Keel Arrested Miles From Arizona-Mexico Border

Rexford Lynn Keel, 57, was wanted on a first-degree murder warrant in the death of Diana Keel, his wife, when he was arrested on the morning of March 17 in Arizona. He was only 34 miles from the border. Sheriff's Office

The husband of a slain North Carolina woman has been arrested not far the U.S.-Mexico border.

Rexford Lynn Keel, 57, was wanted on a first-degree murder warrant in the death of Diana Keel, his wife, when he was arrested on the morning of March 17 in Arizona. He was only about 30 miles from the border.

The Nash County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Rexford Keel was taken into custody following a traffic stop on Interstate 10 near Tuscon.

Keel had a number of bank receipts “and a large sum of money with him” when he was arrested, the sheriff’s office said.

Diana Keel was first reported missing by her daughter on March 7, and her husband told officials he had seen her leaving their home with friends on March 8, ABC11 reported.

The woman’s family said their marriage wasn’t a happy one, saying she was planning to divorce her husband, but he had threatened her, the report said.

Friends also said the two had marriage troubles.

“It was just the atmosphere and the aura that, you know that vibe that you get from somebody, it was always very tense,” Taryn Edwards, Diana’s friend, said of Lynn, reported WRAL.

Rexford Keel’s previous wife, Elizabeth Bess Edwards Keel, died in their home in 2006.

A medical examiner said she died from blunt force trauma to the head, but it was ruled that her death was accidental, according to ABC11.

She reportedly fell and hit her head on the steps outside their home.

Nash County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Brandon Medina told the News & Observer that it’s not clear if officials will re-examine Elizabeth Keel’s death.

“It’s not eliminated, it’s still on the table,” Medina said. “We just have to prioritize and our first priority was to get him, and then we’ll look at other things.”

Violent Crime Declines in 2017

The FBI said that in 2017 violent crime had dropped by 0.2 percent, according to a release, but aggravated and rape offenses increased by a respective 1.0 percent and 2.5 percent. The murder rate dropped by 0.7 percent, the agency said.

“In 2017, there were an estimated 1,247,321 violent crimes. The estimated number of robbery offenses decreased 4.0 percent, and the estimated number of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses decreased 0.7 percent when compared with estimates from 2016. The estimated volume of aggravated assault and rape (revised definition) offenses increased 1.0 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively,” said the FBI.

The agency added: “By violent crime offense, the arrest rate for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter was 3.8 per 100,000 inhabitants; rape (aggregate total using the revised and legacy definition), 7.2; robbery, 29.3; and aggravated assault, 120.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. Meanwhile, the FBI said that there are now 670,279 sworn officers and 286,662 civilian officers in the U.S, which is a rate of 3.4 employees per 1,000 inhabitants.