VERO BEACH, FL – June 29, 2020 – According to an online news report posted on ClickOrlando.com, a man was arrested and book this past Friday on manslaughter charges after police finished a four-month investigation into the victim´s death.
According to the arrest warrant, police detectives obtained an arrested warrant, a 44-year-old man. They arrested the man on Friday when a law enforcement investigation ascertained the man strangled the 25-year-old victim to death on March 4, 2020.
On March 4, 2020, law enforcement, along with emergency medical crews, responded to a house on Juanita Circle in Melbourne, Florida, on March 4, 2020. Police were dispatched to the house when the suspect asked neighbors to contact 911 when the victim grew unresponsive. In the emergency 911 phone call, the neighbor said the suspect told her that the victim "had passed out." The suspect was asked if the victim was still breathing, and the suspect answered with, "yes."
When emergency medical responders arrived at the house, the 25-year-old woman was found unresponsive. The victim She was pronounced dead at the house, according to the law enforcement investigators.
The news story states that at the time of the victim's death, emergency medical crews thought they were responding to a drug overdose accident. However, the woman was discovered with many bruises, defensive wounds, black eye, and her clothes were torn, according to the arrest warrant.
The suspect stated to police detectives that the suspect "fell" and "passed out" following the couple took MDMA together. The investigators later ascertained that the suspect's story to law enforcement did not match the victim's injuries or cause her of death. On May 14, 2020, the Medical Examiner's Office concluded that the victim died of "manual strangulation." Also, it was noted that the victim had several blunt force personal injuries, including human bite wounds on the victim's neck, according to the medical examiner's autopsy report.
The report states that the victim's mother spoke with investigators and stated that she was not stunned to learn that her daughter's death was determined to be a homicide. The victim's mother also stated that she "knew from the beginning" upon learning of her daughter's death that she believed the suspect was responsible for her death. The victim's mother explained to detectives that the suspect had been physically abusive to her daughter prior to her death. The mother of the victim also stated that the victim planned to move out of the State of Florida so she could escape the relationship. The victim had scheduled to move only a week after her death, according to the arrest report.
On January 24, 2020, law enforcement arrested the suspect for domestic battery on the victim. The victim suffered a broken nose from the incident. After the suspect's January arrest, the suspect was served a "no-contact order" concerning the suspect, and the "no-contact order" was still active when the victim died. Several witnesses told detectives they remembered the suspect beating the victim and leaving the victim with black eyes. One witness stated that the suspect was a boxer, and the witness told detectives that they saw the suspect beating the victim during a previous incident.
Criminal records confirmed that the suspect was arrested and booked into the Brevard County Jail on Friday. The suspect faces one count of first-degree murder. The Criminal Justice Judge ordered the suspect to be held without bail. The suspect's next court hearing is set for July 28, 2020.