Police | North Myrtle Beach man confessed to killing his father

A North Myrtle Beach man admitted to police that he killed his father following an argument the men had, according to a police report.

Lucas James Permenter, 31, is jailed at J. Reuben Long Detention Center without bond on a charge of murder in the stabbing death of his 59-year-old father, Eugene R. Permenter.

Eugene Permenter was found dead about 11:40 a.m. Saturday inside his home in the 300 block of 50th Avenue North in the Cherry Grove section of North Myrtle Beach, authorities said.

An autopsy was performed Sunday morning at Grand Strand Medical Center, and Horry County Coroner Robert Edge said the cause of death was massive hemorrhage from a knife wound.

Lucas Permenter lived with his father, who was found by relatives after they became worried about the elder man when they did not hear from him for more than two days, according to the report. The family members went to the home Saturday and told police they had not seen Eugene Permenter since Jan. 19 and he did not respond to phone calls in the days before his death.

The house was locked and the family members broke a bedroom window to get inside and found Eugene Permenter dead on the living room floor, according to the report. Dried blood was found on his body, which was lying face down.

Police took Lucas Permenter into custody after he returned to the house he shared with his father, according to the report. When police questioned Lucas Permenter about his father’s death, officers wrote in their report that “during the course of the interview, Lucas Permenter admitted and openly confessed to killing his father.”

The portion of the report that described why the men argued before Eugene Permenter’s death was redacted.

Permenter was charged with murder about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Permenter was previously jailed on Sept. 21, 2001 on charges of resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a narcotic, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to the charges on March 25, 2003, and was sentenced to a year in prison that suspended upon his service of 18 months on probation.

Permenter also pleaded guilty Jan. 6, 2011 to trespassing in North Myrtle Beach city court and was ordered to serve five days in jail.

Relatives could not be reached for comment Monday.