2 men face murder charge in Bradenton drug deal shooting. Was a third person involved?
Two men are facing murder charges after Palmetto police officers found a body in the trunk of a car, but new details surrounding the case suggest a third suspect may be involved.
Freddy Sandoval, 25, and Idus Murkerson, 20, are charged with murder after the Manatee County Sheriff's Office said Murkerson shot and killed 32-year-old Manuel Escobar over a dispute involving money. However, according to an arrest report, surveillance footage captured a third man, whose identity has not been made public, helping to move the body.
In the report, a detective wrote the video shows two men joining Murkerson to place Escobar's body in the trunk of a car before the unidentified man left on foot and Murkerson and Sandoval drove away together.
The sheriff's office has not publicly commented on the involvement of a third suspect. In an Aug. 26 news release, deputies said the investigation is ongoing.
An attorney for Sandoval declined to comment, while an attorney for Murkerson did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald's request for comment.
Officers with the Palmetto Police Department were on patrol in the early hours of Aug. 25 at the Palmetto Estuary Nature Preserve when they say they noticed the trunk of a black Dodge Challenger was "slightly ajar." Upon further investigation, police say blood appeared to be on the driver's seat.
When police opened the trunk , they say they discovered Escobar's lifeless body with multiple gunshot wounds.
New details in Manatee County murder case
However, homicide detectives with the sheriff's office said they determined Murkerson shot Escobar in the 2800 block of Fifth Street in East Bradenton before moving him to the nature preserve.
Investigators say the fatal shooting happened after Sandoval allegedly set up a drug deal between Escobar and his neighbor, Murkerson.
The sheriff's office said the murder stemmed from an argument involving money. An arrest report says text messages revealed Sandoval owed Escobar $2,000. In the messages, Sandoval asked Escober to come to his house, according to an arrest report.
But when Escobar arrived, detectives say Murkerson approached him and fired a gun "at least three times," killing him. Sandoval told detectives he was in the side yard when he heard the gunshots. Sandoval said Murkerson then told him to place the body in the trunk of Escobar's car, according to the sheriff's office.
A third suspect in Bradenton shooting?
That's when a third man is captured on camera helping Sandoval and Murkerson before Sandoval drives away, according to an arrest report.
When asked about his involvement, Sandoval told detectives he felt like he was "forced to help" Murkerson because he was armed, according to an arrest report.
Deputies with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office arrested Sandoval the day after the shooting and issued an arrest warrant for Murkerson. The Florida Highway Patrol announced Murkerson's arrest in Santa Rosa County in North Florida later that morning.
Murkerson has since been extradited to Manatee County where he will face charges, according to court records. Sandoval and Murkerson remain in custody. Both men pleaded not guilty and are set to appear in a Manatee County courtroom in October.
Murkerson faces charges of murder in the second degree with a firearm, while Sandoval is charged with murder in the second degree with a firearm and accessory after the fact, according to court records.
