Miami-Dade Church Community In Shock as Pastor Stabbed to Death, Arrest Follows

Miami-Dade County, Florida – After allegedly killing a South Florida pastor with a knife at a Miami-Dade County church, a guy was taken into custody over the weekend, according to the police.

James Walter Dawkins, 44, of Miami, is accused of one count of first-degree murder, according to jail records.

After learning of reports of a stabbing, Miami-Dade police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel were called to Westview Baptist Church, situated at 13301 NW 24th Ave., at 5:31 p.m. on Saturday, according to the authorities.

Officers arrived to find Antwane Dwayne Lenoir, 41, unconscious and suffering from stab wounds to his neck. At the scene, he was declared dead.

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Authorities have verified that Lenoir, a pastor at the church and wearer of a full-armed security guard uniform, had called a locksmith to replace a few of the doors on the property before to the event.

Dawkins was a musician who had been ordained by Lenoir; the police said he was homeless but was still allowed to live at the church.

After the two men got into a verbal fight, according to the police, Dawkins repeatedly stabbed the victim and then departed the scene on foot without being provoked.

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After performing an autopsy on Lenoir on Sunday, a Miami-Dade Associate Medical Examiner confirmed that the cause of his death was “sharp force injuries and (was) classified as a homicide,” as per the investigators’ findings.

Just after 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, Miami-Dade police reported that they had found Dawkins in the vicinity of Northwest 62nd Street and Northwest 27th Avenue in Miami. They then took him to the department’s headquarters to be questioned.

According to Pastor Gaston Smith, who spoke with Local 10 News, Lenoir was like a brother to him, and the situation was “beyond explanation.”

“It’s impossible for me to even comprehend his 20-year wife. Smith remarked, “I can’t picture these four beautiful children who all loved their dad beyond life. “The pastor was well-liked by this congregation.”

Detectives reported that Dawkins provided a statement about his role in the incident after being handed his Miranda rights. It was discovered, although, that the statement given did not correspond with the data acquired throughout the inquiry.

Smith remarked, “Something mental had to have happened for this to happen.” “We have lost an outstanding father, a vibrant leader, a dynamic pastor, and an amazing community activist. That person was him.

Dawkins is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Monday.

At this point, it’s unclear why the person was stabbed.