Three Ocala men arrested in 2019 Morriston homicide investigation
Thre three suspects arrested, left to right: Christian Cirilo, 27, Omar Ortiz, 38, and Jesse Torres,
Last year on August 11 (2019) the remains of a man, later identified as 33 year-old Jafet Padin Rodriguez, of Ocala, were found dumped along a remote section of Highway 464 in southeastern Levy County. Evidence at this scene confirmed that Mr. Rodriguez's life was violently taken.
Detectives with the Levy County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) joined forces with the Ocala Police Department (OPD) and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO). When Rodriguez's car was discovered burned, in Marion County, the Florida Fire Marshal’s Office also joined the investigation.
Early in the investigation, detectives invested hundreds of hours in interviews that led to several tangible leads. Due to language barriers and jurisdictional boundaries, detectives sought assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
Multiple interviews led detectives to a prevailing theory as to why Rodriguez was murdered - a love triangle misunderstanding, spelled out in text messages - although detectives learned that the victim did not send the text messages and was not involved in the love triangle.
Detectives tracked Rodriguez's movements from an Ocala night club to a private residence in Ocala on the night he was killed. Detectives were able to identify the home where the victim was attacked, which ultimately led to the identification of three men who are suspected of violently attacking and killing Rodriguez: Christian Cardona Cirilo, 27, Omar Rodriguez Ortiz, 38, and Jesse Torres, 32, all of Ocala.
On July 13, LCSO Detective Mike McNeil secured warrants for the arrest of these three men for the crime of premeditated first degree murder.
On July 21, the three men were arrested on the warrants with the combined efforts of officers with the LCSO, FDLE, MSCO, OPD and the United States Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force.
“Murder cases where the victim has no ties to Levy County are some of the most difficult to solve," said Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum. "I am extremely proud of the hard work these dedicated detectives put into this case. Their ability to work with other agencies to solve this crime and offer closure to this family is unrivaled. The men responsible for the senseless murder of Jafet Padin Rodriguez will ultimately be transferred to the Levy County Detention facility where they will be held, awaiting trial.”