-- ALL -- Announcement Bowling Court Environment Fire Health Internet Letter to the Editor News Obituary Pet Patrol Police Politics Roadway School Sports, Wildlife Weather Workshop
BACK
UPDATE: 4th suspect arrested in murder of Ocala, FL man in Morriston, FL
Wed - August 12, 2020 12:04 am  |  Article Hits:497  |  A+ | a-
L to R, top/bottom: Christian Cirilo, 27, Omar Ortiz, 38, Jesse Torres, 32, Kesia Munoz, 32.
L to R, top/bottom: Christian Cirilo, 27, Omar Ortiz, 38, Jesse Torres, 32, Kesia Munoz, 32.
In an August 11 press release, which coincided with the one year anniversary of the murder of 33 year-old Jafet Padin Rodriguez, of Ocala, the Levy County Sheriff's Officw revealed that a fourth suspect has been arrested on charges connected with his death.

Ms. Kesia Mundo Munoz, 32, was arrested in Hernando County, Florida, August 7, due to the combined effort of the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and U.S. Marshal’s Service Regional Fugitive Task Force (USMS-RFTF). 

Ms. Munoz was arrested on a warrant obtained by the FDLE that charged her with solicitation to commit first degree murder, accessory after the fact, and tampering with physical evidence. Ms. Munoz was booked into the Hernando County Detention Center in Brooksville, Florida with her bond set at $10,000 on the tampering charged and no bond on the other charges.

According to Levy County Undersheriff Brett Beauchamp, evidence indicates that Ms. Munoz lured Mr. Rodriguez to a residence in Marion County where he was beaten, then transported to Morriston in Levy County, Florida where the murder took place. Munoz is believed to have assisted the other suspects: Christian Cirilo, 27, Omar Ortiz, 38, and Jesse Torres, 32, all of Ocala, in cleaning up up the Marion County crime scene, destroying evidence, after Mr. Rodriguez was murdered.

On August 11. 2019, Mr. Rodriquez's remains were found, dumped along a remote section of Highway 464 in southeastern Levy County, FL. Evidence confirmed that Mr. Rodriguez's life was violently taken. Rodriguez's car was discovered burned in Marion County, FL.

Detectives determined that Rodriguez was murdered due to a love triangle misunderstanding that was spelled out in text messages. However, they learned that Mr. Rodriguez did not send the text messages and was not involved in the love triangle. 

On July 13, LCSO Detective Mike McNeil secured warrants for the arrest of Cirilo, Ortiz and Torres for premeditated first degree murder, and on July 21, the three men were arrested through the combined efforts of officers with the LCSO, FDLE, Marion County Sheriff's Office (MSCO), Ocala Police Department (OPD) and the USMS-RFTF.
 
Top