VERO BEACH — The fifth suspect in August’s home burglary-turned-murder case has been charged with the crime, according to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
Dennis Williams, 21, of Sebastian, turned himself into authorities Friday evening, according to Vero Beach Police spokesman John Morrison.
Williams faces charges of first degree murder and burglary of a dwelling with assault or battery. The murder charges stem from a robbery on 41st Avenue in August that turned into a homicide case after the 64-year-old victim, Nestor Perez, died at a hospital due to his injuries.
The Vero Beach Police Department had announced Friday morning that four of five suspects in a Vero Beach robbery-turned-murder case have been caught – all on unrelated charges.
According to the police department, the suspects struck Perez on the head with a cinder block as he worked on a vehicle in his backyard before burglarizing his home.
The other four suspects include:
Demetrius J. Davis, 20, of 39th Drive, Vero Beach: He was arrested on Oct. 13 on a charge of domestic violence battery.
William Anthony Peacock Jr., 22, of 29th Avenue, Vero Beach: He was arrested on Sept. 11 for felony dealing in stolen property.
Robert Edward Carhart Jr., 21, of Palm Bay: He was arrested on Sept. 11 for felony dealing in stolen property.
Leviticus Taylor, 23, of 23rd Court, Vero Beach: He was arrested on Oct. 10 in Georgia on an unrelated aggravated battery charge that occurred in Vero Beach in late July.
All five men face felony first degree murder and burglary of a dwelling with an assault or battery charges, according to the police department. All but Taylor are being held at the Indian River County Jail without bond
Taylor is waiting to be extradited to Indian River County from Georgia, where he will be booked on the murder and burglary charges.
The assault for which the suspects are accused occurred on Aug. 28 at 1555 41st Ave., Vero Beach. Authorities were called to the scene after the victim’s wife, Luisa Garcia, and neighbor discovered Perez lying on the ground near a car he was working on.
He was found unconscious and bleeding from his head.
Garcia told investigators that when she arrived at the house that morning, the door was open and the home’s interior was in disarray. She noticed the flat screen television and two cell phones were missing.
Through the course of the investigation, officers learned that the suspects drove to the area of 4100 16th Street – within one block of the victim’s home – after 9 p.m. Aug. 27, with the intent to rob Perez, Officer John Morrison said in the police statement.
The suspects confronted Perez, according to Morrison, and struck him in the head with a cinder block, leaving him to lie on the ground.