Arrest made in beating death of homeless man

Two black eyes after a recent money dispute with a homeless man formed the the impetus for deadly revenge, court records show.

Jose Arturo Bizarro-Cermeno, 44, of Fort Lauderdale, was arrested Tuesday night in connection with the beating death of Youssef Hamraoui, 46, Broward sheriff’s officials announced Wednesday.

“Detectives say BizarroCermeno and the victim had an ongoing dispute, which ultimately led to the killing,” said Keyla Concepcion, a spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriff ’s Office.

Known on the streets as Morocco, Hamraoui was wrapped in a blanket with his head on a pillow in his usual sleeping spot near a vacant building on State Road 7 in unincorporated Broward County when a security guard found him Oct. 21.

His face and skull were beaten and bloodied. Blood spatter and several teeth surrounded Hamraoui’s makeshift bed south of Davie Boulevard in the 1900 block of State Road 7 near Fort Lauderdale, records show.

“Many people would want to hurt [Hamraoui] because of his aggressive behavior,” Hamraoui’s girlfriend told investigators. Her name was redacted from court documents.

Several others who knew Hamraoui and frequented his homeless encampment pointed fingers at BizarroCermeno, telling investigators that he had gotten into a recent fight with Hamraoui and came out of it with two black eyes, according to an affidavit to arrest.

When detectives encountered Bizarro-Cermeno, his right shoe and right pant leg were spattered with blood. A DNA sample tied the blood to Hamraoui, the affidavit said.

Bizarro-Cermeno is being held without bond in the Broward Main Jail on a charge of premeditated murder.

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