The wife of a missing man whose burnt body was found in a rural area of Homestead last month is speaking out as the suspect in his murder was back in court.
Roiniel Perez, 31, faces second-degree murder with a weapon alongside grand theft and other charges after allegedly fleeing a traffic stop and leading police on a brief pursuit that ended in a crash while driving the victim's vehicle back on Nov. 17, according to an arrest report.
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Perez was in court Tuesday where he pleaded not guilty.
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Just a few days before the pursuit, on Nov. 14, Miami-Dade Police had discovered the body of 52-year-old Oscar Rene Hernandez Augustin on the side of a dirt road in the 23600 block of Southwest 227th Avenue.
Augustin's body was found burned from the waist down and was in a "moderate stage" of decomposition, the report said. An autopsy revealed he was stabbed multiple times.
Augustin was reported missing just two days before his body was found, along with his white 2015 Toyota Corolla, according to police.
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Days later, officers with Miami-Dade Police's South District saw someone driving Augustin's Corolla and attempted a traffic stop, the report said.
The driver, later identified as Perez, refused to stop and led officers on a brief pursuit before running a red light and crashing into another vehicle, according to the report.
The moments were caught on surveillance video. Perez then ran out of the vehicle and fled, attempting to hide under a parked car before officers took him into custody.
According to the arrest report, Perez told detectives Augustin picked him up from his residence early in the week before his disappearance.
Perez also allegedly confessed to using Augustin's bank card multiple times since his disappearance after detectives found the card in his possession along with Augustin's ID, the report said.
Detectives also found a "substantial amount of blood" in the rear seats of Augustin's vehicle, as well as multiple pairs of blue latex gloves.
Perez's cellphone also allegedly contained pictures of the victim's vehicle, showing the blood-stained seats, bank cards and ID. A photograph also showed Perez's palm with multiple cuts.
The motive for the killing remains under investigation.
In Spanish, Rene Hernandez Augustin’s wife told NBC6 Tuesday she wanted justice for her husband.
“He was a person who didn’t have any problems. He wasn’t from the streets,” Damassa Torres said. "I ask for justice."
Torres said she hopes state attorneys increase Perez’s charges since now he’s facing second-degree murder.
“Right now he has a second-degree charge, but I think that is wrong. It should be murder in the first degree,” Torres said.
