2 Arrested After Florida Man Found Dead in Trunk, Authorities Say

Authorities say they have arrested two suspects after finding a missing Florida man dead in the trunk of his car in a Walgreens parking lot.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced Saturday that Melvin Ray Wilcox, 39, last seen on March 15, was found in the trunk of his Honda Civic late Friday. WKMG-TV reported the vehicle was located in a Walgreens parking lot near North Lane and Pine Hills Road in Orlando. The Orange County Medical Examiner determined Wilcox died via homicide, noting a gunshot wound to the head and two gunshot wounds to the shoulder and neck region.

“OCSO Homicide detectives have arrested Johnny Wesley and Lashawn Triplett for First Degree Murder with a firearm,” the sheriff’s office said.

An affidavit for an arrest warrant obtained by WKMG-TV states that Wilcox — who fathered a child with Triplett, 43, and was friends with Wesley, 42 — encountered the pair at the Central Florida fair on March 13. Wilcox and Wesley allegedly argued, as Wesley never told Wilcox that he and Triplett were dating for about a year, deputies said.

The victim allegedly informed his mother that on March 15 he would be visiting another friend, but his mother told deputies that after contacting the friend later in the day she learned he never showed up, according to WKMG-TV. Wilcox’s mother got in touch with Wesley, who said he and Wilcox got into another fight after the 39-year-old showed up at his house, deputies said. Wesley allegedly said the battery to Wilcox’s Honda Civic had died, so he jumped it, and Wilcox left. She was unsuccessful in attempts of calling her son, as the calls were going directly to voicemail, deputies said.

WKMG-TV reported:

An undisclosed time later, deputies arrived at Wesley’s home after Wilcox’s mother reported her son’s car stolen and provided authorities with Wesley’s address. Upon reviewing security footage from an undisclosed source, detectives moved to intensify their investigation and to draft a search warrant for the property “in the event Melvin (was) located deceased” regarding the suspicious nature of his disappearance, the affidavit said.

In the course of 10 hours of surveillance video, detectives said Wilcox was seen arriving to and entering Wesley’s house around 2 a.m., but not leaving it in the same way. About two hours after Wilcox was seen walking through the front door, detectives said several people were observed attempting to move Wilcox’s car, which they had to start with jumper cables.

About an hour later, the Civic was backed up through the front yard to the door of the residence, all of the lights in the house were turned off and a man was seen driving the car away, detectives said. After another hour, Wesley was seen walking back to the house and loading two large trash bags into his own vehicle before driving away, returning within 15 minutes, detectives said.

Based on the surveillance video, detectives said it was likely Wilcox was killed inside the residence before his body was stuffed into his Civic, which was ditched at the Walgreens parking lot, according to WKMG-TV. Detectives said they executed a search warrant at the residence and located blood remnants, bullet holes, and a 9mm shell casing.

Both Wesley and Wilcox were set to appear in court Sunday morning.

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