A 31-year-old Cuban identified as Roiniel Pérez is facing charges of second-degree murder with a weapon, grand theft, and other offenses related to the gruesome murder of Oscar René Hernández Augustín, a 52-year-old man of Guatemalan descent.
The remains of Hernández Augustín, in an advanced state of decomposition and burned from the waist down, were found in a rural area of southwest Miami-Dade last Thursday.
The body was discovered alongside a dirt road at 23600 Southwest 227th Avenue, in the Redland area.
According to the police report, the man and his 2015 white Toyota Corolla had been reported missing just two days before the discovery.
A subsequent autopsy revealed that the man had been stabbed multiple times before being left at the site.
Persecution and arrest
On Sunday, agents from the South District of the Miami-Dade Police located Hernández Augustín's vehicle at 12000 South Dixie Highway, in the Goulds area.
When trying to stop the car driven by Pérez, he fled, leading to a police chase that ended in an accident on Southwest 137th Avenue.
Pérez, after colliding with another vehicle whose occupants suffered minor injuries, left the scene of the accident and attempted to hide under a parked car. He was ultimately apprehended near the Café-Restaurante Hidalgo.
The investigation revealed multiple elements that link Pérez to the crime.
During the arrest, the officers found Hernández Augustín's identification and bank cards in his possession. The Cuban admitted to having used one of the victim's credit cards on several occasions.
Additionally, his cell phone contained compromising photographs, including images from the interior of Hernández Augustín's Corolla, where bloodstains were visible on the back seats, as well as the credit cards and identification of the deceased.
A photograph of Pérez's palm was also found, showing multiple cuts consistent with recent injuries.
The detectives searched the victim's vehicle, where they found "a substantial amount of blood" in the back seats as well as several pairs of blue latex gloves, similar to those found at the scene where the body was discovered.
This evidence supports the hypothesis that the crime occurred inside the vehicle before the body was abandoned.
According to the police report, Pérez stated that Hernández Augustín picked him up at his home on the early morning of Tuesday, the day he went missing.
However, he did not provide a coherent explanation regarding the victim's fate or the multiple cuts on his hands.
So far, authorities have not been able to determine whether the two men knew each other beforehand or establish a clear motive for the murder.
Currently, Roiniel Pérez remains in custody without the option for bail at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK).
He faces charges of second-degree murder with a weapon, grand theft, and other related offenses. The police are continuing to investigate the circumstances and possible motives behind this brutal crime.
Authorities urge anyone with additional information to contact local law enforcement.
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