A Florida man who allegedly informed detectives that his missing fiancée had been seized by federal immigration officers is now suspected of her murder.
Saul Garcia Gonzalez, 40, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Nerida Martel, 37, whose body was discovered in a canal about three blocks from the couple’s home on Oct. 11. She’d been shot in the head.
“[The victim] had been reported missing by the subject days before she was found,” Miami-Dade police said in a statement Thursday. “Through investigative means MDSO Homicide Bureau detectives were able to determine that the victim had been murdered by [Gonzalez].”
On Wednesday, authorities apprehended Gonzalez at a shopping center. According to the local NBC affiliate WTVJ, security cameras captured the exchange. The footage shows several officers approaching Gonzalez, at least one with a rifle pulled.
Gonzalez reported Martel missing on October 6. According to court documents obtained by local independent television station WPLG, he told investigators that he had brought their 2-year-old daughter to day care and that Martel was meant to find a ride to work — which appears to contradict what he told a family friend.
According to WPLG, “[Gonzalez] told the family friend that he believed the victim was possible in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel,” according to the criminal filing. He also allegedly told friends different versions regarding when he last saw Martel.
According to investigators, Martel’s behavior prior to her death showed that she was attempting to end the relationship, and she had told family members that Gonzalez was “verbally abusive” to her.
“The victim had reached out to a friend seeking a place to stay only for her and her daughter, which indicates that the victim was attempting to leave the defendant and end their relationship,” according to the application.
Cellphone records also led investigators to Gonzalez’s suspected crime. According to the arrest report, Martel’s cellphone was inside the couple’s home when Gonzalez dropped off their daughter at day care, but it was quickly relocated to the site where the victim’s corpse was discovered.
“The defendant’s device then traveled back to the canal where the victim’s body was discovered,” according to an arrest report. “The defendant’s gadget remained along the canal, driving around it until he returned to his home. The victim’s gadget was turned off when they traveled to the east side of the canal.
According to WPLG, Gonzalez’s gadget remained motionless for a few hours before going to another property.
Investigators stated that “the evidence collected in this case refutes all of the statements that the defendant provided” to witnesses and law enforcement.
“The evidence also showed that the defendant was never at a bus stop dropping off the victim and that he did not go straight to work after he dropped off their daughter,” according to the arrest report.
A witness to Gonzalez’s arrest told WTVJ that the guy was known to frequent the neighborhood with his daughter, who attends day care nearby.
“He always came alone with the little girl,” the witness explained to the channel. “He seemed normal and easy to get along with. He was never disrespectful. He was pleasant. He’d stop by and always say good morning. He was usually quite attentive.”
She stated that shortly after, the Department of Children and Families arrived to pick up the daughter from a neighboring day care center.
“The small daughter is what concerns me the most. Her mother died, and her father is currently in jail,” the employee explained.
Gonzalez was denied bond and is awaiting his next court hearing.
According to online data, Gonzalez is in jail at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
