photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Lawrence police officers were investigating a suspected homicide at the former VFW Post at 1800 Massachusetts St. on Aug. 29, 2025.

Updated at 6:19 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29

Lawrence police on Friday arrested a 63-year-old Lawrence man in connection with a homicide after a 35-year-old woman’s body was found behind a vacant building in the 1800 block of Massachusetts Street.

Sgt. Drew Fennelly said the victim, whose name was not provided, appeared to have been stabbed multiple times. Police were called to the scene at 7:22 a.m. Friday.

The victim is also a Lawrence resident and knew the suspect, whom police identified as Aaron Blake Wright. Later in the day, Douglas County Jail booking records listed Wright’s address as the Lawrence Community Shelter, 3655 E. 25th St.

After interviewing people at the scene, police said they quickly identified Wright as a person of interest, located him and took him to police headquarters. After interviewing Wright, detectives arrested him on suspicion of second-degree murder, they said Friday afternoon.

Shortly before 9 a.m. a body beneath a white sheet was visible behind the VFW. A bicycle lay on the ground in front of the building behind police tape, which stretched about three businesses south of the VFW property. Numerous law enforcement officers were processing the area, including speaking with people in front of the Dillons grocery store across the street.

Douglas County District Attorney Dakota Loomis was also on scene.

Fennelly told the Journal-World Friday morning that police were in the process of obtaining a search warrant for the property. Police said Friday afternoon that the investigation was ongoing.

According to the Kansas Department of Corrections, a person named Aaron Blake Wright with the same birthday and age was convicted of attempted murder and criminal use of weapons/explosives in Douglas County in 1996. He was discharged from KDOC in 2013.

photo by: Kansas Department of Corrections

Aaron B. Wright

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

A bicycle lies behind crime scene tape at 1800 Massachusetts St. Friday morning, Aug. 29, 2025. A woman’s body was found behind the old VFW building at the site.

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Lawrence police officers were investigating a suspected homicide at the former VFW Post at 1800 Massachusetts Street on Aug. 29, 2025. Douglas County District Attorney Dakota Loomis, second from left, was also on scene.

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Police officers work the scene of a suspected homicide in the 1800 block of Massachusetts Street on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.