Man confesses to murder after body found partially buried on property, police say

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A Florida man was charged with first-degree murder after he allegedly confessed to beating a man to death before burying the victim’s body in a yard.

Bryan Marquez, 22, is charged with first-degree murder, according to St. Lucie County court records.

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Officers with the Fort Pierce Police Department were called to a home on Feb. 12 after a caller reported the “clothes of a person” and “human blood” in a yard. In an arrest affidavit, police said that a review of body camera video from responding officers shows showed clothing and couch cushions covered in blood.

On the property, officers said Bryan Marquez was sleeping in a free-standing shed. When he woke up, officers noted the “white shorts he is wearing at this point also have presumptive blood and dirt that is very prominent.”

Marquez was taken into custody for an outstanding warrant and detained for 48 hours at the St. Lucie County Jail on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer, police said.

On Feb. 13, Fort Pierce police officers were again called to the property by someone who said “there is a lot of blood outside and it appears someone dug a hole and covered something up. Complainant thinks it could possibly be a person, but unknown exactly what it is.”

Officers at the scene found a body had been buried in the yard, with a foot partially exposed, according to the arrest affidavit. Police said the unidentified victim was Hispanic, 35-45 years old and had significant facial injuries.

“The officers that arrived on scene first were taken off guard,” Fort Pierce Police Sgt. Charles Donnon told WPEC. “Where we found the decedent was a very small place, and at first, they were very concerned that it was a child, so everybody was on edge right from the beginning.”

In the affidavit, police said that when they interviewed Marquez he confessed to the murder. Marquez told police that the victim was a roommate he knew only as “Guanajuato.” Marquez allegedly told police that Guanajuato threw Marquez’s plate, with food on it, to the ground and broke the plate. There was no confrontation at the time, but Marquez said that after getting drunk later that night, he confronted the victim and beat him to death.

The St. Lucie County Medical Examiner’s Office classified the case as a homicide and said the victim was killed by blunt force trauma/multiple injuries. The medical examiner noted that the victim had “‘Foreign material’ including gravel and soil present in his mouth, larynx, trachea down to his lungs, and stomach.” The medical examiner concluded the victim’s injuries were not consistent with those made by a fist or hand.

Police said that officers arrested Marquez as he was planning to leave town.

“We received information … that he had already contacted family and was getting a bus ticket to get back to Mexico, so this is when the hairs stand up,” Donnon told WPEC.

Marquez is being held without bond.