NC man caught in SC charged with murdering woman

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) – Charlotte police say they’re charging a man with first-degree murder after his capture in South Carolina.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said Saturday that 44-year-old Humberto Alvarez Mendoza was arrested in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and will be returned to face charges. Mendoza has been sought since the body of Nia Hantzopoulos was discovered Tuesday near a Charlotte shopping mall. She was last seen two weeks ago and her husband reported Hantzopoulos missing.

A search warrant says Mendoza asked his roommate to help him load something covered in a white sheet into an unfamiliar vehicle. Mendoza said it was a deer, but the roommate told officers the object was heavier and not deer-shaped.

Police documents say the roommate reported seeing a possible blood stain on the carpet of Mendoza’s bedroom in Pineville.