BRADENTON, Fla. – Manatee County sheriff’s deputies arrested a man suspected of killing a woman at an apartment in September.
Nelson Navarro, 46, is charged with the murder of Maria De Jesus. She was 37 years old.
Deputies found De Jesus in the grass partially naked and bleeding at Centre Court Apartments the morning of Sept. 3.
An arrest report said De Jesus had “visible bruising across her body, visibly broken bones, and a deep wound to her forehead.”
The sheriff’s office said emergency medical service personnel took De Jesus to Blake Medical Center, where she died Sept. 9 from her injuries.
Detectives learned neighbors heard screaming from De Jesus’ apartment on September 3, but did not report it. Navarro was seen loading his car with items from the apartment while De Jesus cried for help in the parking lot.
Investigators learned Navarro switched vehicles with a friend and left the state in a friend’s truck – a 2004 gray Nissan – without the owner’s permission.
On Sept. 5, detectives found Navarro’s 2016 Chevrolet pick-up truck he had left with his friends. Deputies conducted a search warrant on the truck.
Navarro was staying at a relative’s house in Dalton, Georgia, with the stolen Nissan truck. Authorities arrested Navarro and charged him with grand theft auto on Sept. 10.
Deputies extradited Navarro back to Manatee County and booked him on the stolen vehicle charge.
The Medical Examiner’s Office established probable cause for homicide and arrested him on Sunday.
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