Luis David Lemus was charged with second-degree murder after being accused of killing locksmith Adrian Venereo, while surveillance footage shows the victim walking to the suspect’s apartment shortly before he committed the crime.
According to NBC 6 South Florida, Venereo was summoned to the apartment after Lemus and his father were locked out. As the video shows, Venereo was walking with the suspect, carrying his rolling toolbox, to the locked apartment. While the locksmith was working to change the locks, Lemus allegedly took out his gun and shot him in the head. He reportedly fled the scene after the incident.
The video also shows Lemus’ father walking away from the scene, screaming, “Why would you do that?” as he is seen with blood on his arms and hands.
The crime took place in West Miami.
When police officers arrived on the scene, Venereo was nonresponsive in the hallway on the floor.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that a witness identified
as P.L. was holding the weapon when police arrived on the scene. He informed the investigators that Lemus had left the scene, saying that he had hurt someone. When officers inspected the gun, they discovered five live rounds and one spent casing inside the cylinder. Officers said the witness told them that Lemus shot Venereo in the head, then went downstairs and ran away.Investigators found Lemus and saw that he was wearing sneakers similar to those in the video footage and carrying a red backpack similar to the one seen in the footage.
Lemus appeared in court virtually from his cell, lying on a bed and pulling a blanket over himself. Although he did not respond to any questions, prosecutors said he confessed to the crime.
NBC 6 reported that Venereo’s wife, Nicole Galvis, said she went down to the location after not hearing from her husband.
“I just felt something was wrong, and when I showed up, I saw all the crime scene and the police,” she said. “They don’t know why he did it, he was just working.”
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