Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Murder victims’ cash used to buy sneakers
Police say suspects killed and robbed two teens in park
Two young men accused of robbing and killing a pair of Palm Beach County teenagers — shooting them each in the face — used the stolen proceeds to buy new shoes, according to arrest reports released Tuesday.
Joel Rodriguez, 18, and Carlos Hernandez, 19, are facing charges of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm for the Dec. 10 killings of Elijah Montas, 17, and Aaron Valle, 18.
Authorities said Rodriguez picked up the teens in a stolen car and drove them to a park near West Palm Beach to arrange the purchase of a gun from someone in a nearby mobile home park.
Valle’s girlfriend told investigators that her boyfriend sold marijuana and was carrying about $350 on him when he went to the meeting, an arrest report said.
At the park, Rodriguez shot one of the victims in the head at point-blank range, then stood over him and fired a second round into his neck using a stolen .380-caliber pistol, Hernandez told investigators.
Rodriguez then turned to the second victim, shooting him twice in the face, according to Hernandez’s statement to authorities.
Investigators said Rodriguez has admitted shooting and killing the teens.
When authorities arrived at the park, they found the victims’ bodies repositioned on their backs. Their pockets were turned out, their belongings missing, according to a Palm Beach County sheriff ’s report.
During a search of Rodriguez’s bedroom, police found a black backpack with the name “Aaron Valle” inscribed in marker, and a tan Louis Vuitton wallet with $604 in cash similar to one Montas carried, according to the report.
In the days following the killings, Rodriguez and Hernandez used the stolen money to buy Air Jordans and Adidas shoes, according to an arrest report.
Rodriguez already has at least nine prior arrests on burglary- and theft-related charges, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Deputies also have tied the .380-caliber pistol used in the Dec. 10 killings to a prior slaying. Rodriguez admitted to killing 17-year-old Dalton Dobkins in Wellington on Nov. 30, authorities said.
Rodriguez told investigators in the Dobkins case that they went to the Estates of Wellington Green complex to burglarize cars, the Sheriff’s Office said. Rodriguez said he saw an open window and jumped in to burglarize the apartment because he and his accomplices “needed to make money,” an arrest report said.
Instead he found Dobkins in his bedroom and shot him twice in the chest, killing him, before running away, according to the incident report.
The boy's father, his 10-year-old sister and his father's girlfriend were at home when the shooting happened, according to the report.
Ultimately, authorities arrested Rodriguez and Hernandez on Thursday while responding to a call about car burglaries at the Yacht Club, a gated community in Lantana.
During the arrest, Rodriguez used the same .380-caliber handgun to fire a shot at officers, but missed, according to an incident report.
A second suspect in the Dobkins case, Augustine Rivera, 20, also was arrested. He's now facing first-degree murder and armed burglary charges.
Rivera referred to Rodriguez as his brother and told investigators that he only went out to stop him from committing more crimes. Rivera said he knew his brother was involved in three murders, according to a Lantana police report.