Police say Richard Demello and Mike Davis met in a North Carolina prison, where they became friends.
Mike was released first, while cops say Demello continued to serve his sentence for several felony breaking and entering convictions.
Police say Demello was released in January 2010 and was in touch with Mike, who helped him get back on his feet.
But on March 28, 2010, cops say Demello turned on his friend.
A woman phoned police in the early morning hours, Major Bruce Temple of the Halifax County Sheriff's Office said.
She told police that she had stayed the night at her friend Mike Davis' house the night before.
She said woke abruptly between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. to find a man on top of her, who dragged her into another room in the house.
Police say the man had already fastened boot laces to the bedpost and used them to tie the woman up.
When she asked the man where her friend Mike was, he replied, "He's not with us anymore," according to police.
She told police that the man seemed distressed, but didn't harm her. He told her that he would send someone to get her, then took off.
The woman managed to untie the laces and get to a friend's house in a nearby neighborhood, where she phoned police.
When he fled, police say, he stole Mike's bright blue 1998 Dodge Neon and he may still be driving it.
Convicted Criminal On The Run Again
Cops say Demello tied a woman up after allegedly killing Mike Davis.
When police arrived at the home where the woman said she'd been assaulted, they found a brutal murder scene.
Mike's body was wrapped in a sheet after he was struck several times with a blunt object, possibly a hatchet.
The woman knew her attacker only as "Richard," but it didn't take cops long to figure out the man was Demello. Police say when he fled, he stole Mike's bright blue 1998 Dodge Neon and may still be driving it.
Demello has a long list of past convictions, including breaking and entering, aggravated rape, assault and battery, kidnapping and larceny.
Police fear Demello is a danger to the public.
He has family in Harnett County, N.C.; Boston; Rhode Island and Missouri, but police aren't sure where he's headed.
If you have any information about Richard Demello, call our Hotline right away at 1-800-CRIME-TV.
