FLAGSTAFF, Arizona — There is new information about the relationship of murder victim Susan Loper and the man now in custody for the crime, Terrance Black.
The body of Loper, 40, was found in a Frisco field on Wednesday.
Black, 48, faces charges of capital murder. He was arrested after a fall at the Grand Canyon on Friday, and he remains hospitalized in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Black is in the custody of Grand Canyon National Park rangers. They have been guarding him at the Flagstaff Medical Center since his arrest.
National Park Service officials and hospital administrators will not disclose Black's condition or the extent of his injuries.
The Frisco man was found panhandling Friday afternoon at a parking lot along the Grand Canyon's southern rim. When rangers asked him who he was, he leaped into the abyss — remarkably coming to a stop 25 feet down.
"There's a ledge below the rocks here, but after that, it looks pretty much straight down to me," said park visitor Jeremy Hudson. "He's pretty lucky."
Susan Loper's closest friends told News 8 they are relieved an arrest has been made in the case. They said they are shocked, however, that the man they knew as "Rance" Black is accused.
Melanie Malone said Black "was nice, loving and the life of the party. He never got angry. That's why it's all so puzzling to us."
Another friend said Black met Loper in 2006, dating her on-and-off over the next three-and-a-half years. She had one word for the murder and arrest: "Surreal."
Several Plano detectives and Texas Rangers are spending Easter weekend in northern Arizona. Their agenda includes an interview with Terrance Black.
E-mail sstoler@wfaa.com
