A man was arrested and facing multiple charges in connection with the murder of a missing man whose burnt body was discovered in a rural area of Homestead.
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, according to an arrest report.
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Miami-Dade Police discovered the body of 52-year-old Oscar Rene Hernandez Augustin on Thursday on the side of a dirt road in the 23600 block of Southwest 227th Avenue. Augustin was reported missing just two days before, along with his white 2015 Toyota Corolla, according to police.
Augustin's body had been burned from the waist down and was in a "moderate stage" of decomposition, the report said. An autopsy revealed he was stabbed multiple times.
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On Sunday, 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.
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According to the arrest report, Perez told detectives Augustin picked him up from his residence early Tuesday morning 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.
Augustin's wife told NBC6 that she didn't recognize the suspect. She described her husband, who is originally from Guatemala, as a kind man who didn't deserve a horrible death.
The motive for the killing remains under investigation.
