Bryan Marquez, 22, of Fort Pierce, is in the St. Lucie County Jail and has been charged with first-degree murder for killing his roommate over a thrown plate of food and burying him in a shallow grave.
Subscribe to Florida Jolt Newsletter!
Fort Pierce Police responded to a residence after they received a tip two days after the killing. When they arrived at the property where the suspect had been renting a shed, they spotted a human foot sticking out of the ground in the yard. The responding officers observed a makeshift grave about 18 inches deep that contained the body of a man between the ages of 35 and 45.
Marquez, wearing dirty white shorts stained with blood, was taken in for questioning and allegedly admitted to killing his roommate, whom he said he knew only as “Guanajuato,” according to the arrest affidavit.
Marquez told detectives that the victim threw a plate filled with food on the floor and disrespected Marquez. Marquez waited before reacting to the slight.
After drinking later that night, he decided to confront his roommate about the earlier incident. He punched Guanajuato in the ribs and face, knocking him to the ground.
Once Guanajuato was down, Marquez said, he grabbed dirt and gravel and shoved it into the victim’s mouth twice, the court document stated.
Marquez then yelled at Guanajuato to stand up, and when he did not move and was no longer breathing, he said he realized that the victim was dead.
Marquez told police he grabbed the victim by his feet, dragged him to another part of the yard, buried him in a hastily dug hole, and then went to sleep.
Man ‘murdered by roommate for throwing his food found with foot sticking out of grave’
Bryan Marquez confessed to killing his roommate who threw his plate full of food on the ground. https://t.co/OaWHfXQIP7#NewsBriefing #UKNewshttps://t.co/OaWHfXQIP7
— WTX News UK (@WtxNews) February 20, 2023
Investigators collected blood samples found in the yard, along with rocks, gloves, plywood, shovels, and a blanket.
The medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Guanajuato noted that gravel and soil found inside the man’s larynx, trachea, lungs, and stomach contributed to his death by obstructing his airway. He observed that the man had severe facial injuries, a broken nose, and ribs. The cause of death was ruled blunt force trauma.
Sgt. Charles Donnon of the Fort Pierce Police Department told the station CBS12 that before Marquez was booked on the murder charge last week, he had been in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and was about to be deported to his native Mexico. Donnon revealed that Marquez and his victim were undocumented immigrants living in Florida illegally.
“We received information on Tuesday that he had already contacted family and was getting a bus ticket to get back to Mexico, so this is when the hairs stand up,” the police sergeant said. “We want to make sure that we’re not releasing somebody that did this horrific crime.”
Follow Florida Jolt on Twitter
As of Monday, Marquez remained in the St. Lucie County jail without bond.
Other stories you may want to read:
English Woman Obsessed With Serial Killers Guilty of Stabbing Boyfriend to Death With Celtic Dagger
Florida Man Drives Through Fence into Cemetery, Knocks Over Headstones, Crashes Into House
- [Video] NYC Baseball Bat Thug Attacks Random Stranger - July 12, 2023
- California Assembly Blocks Child Trafficking Bill - July 12, 2023
- Georgia Mayor Arrested for Burglary – ‘Do You Know Who the F*** I Am’ - July 10, 2023