A 25-year-old man is facing a first-degree murder charge after he allegedly killed another man after they had sex and then stayed with the body for days.
Friends of the alleged victim, Robert O’Connor, became concerned when he didn’t show up for work and hadn’t been heard from him since Nov. 5. Using a spare key, they went inside his Tampa, Florida, home around 2 p.m. Friday and found O’Connor’s body wrapped in blankets in a bedroom. They backed out of the home and called 911.
Tampa police and fire crews responded. A fire captain entered the home first and indicated there were two bodies in the home. O’Connor was pronounced dead but the second person was found to be very much alive and hiding under the couch, a probable cause affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime says. The man, later identified as Lazaro Basilio Martinez Rojas, had a large kitchen knife under his right knee and was in possession of O’Connor’s ID along with other personal items.
Martinez Rojas had injuries to his neck area, but would not tell cops anything. He was taken to the hospital.
As officers searched the home, they found blood on the door of the closet in one bedroom and O’Connor’s body in the other bedroom with several large wounds to his neck. There was also a pool of blood on the floor and bloody footprints were located throughout the home.
“There was an odor of decomposition,” the affidavit said.
Lazaro Martinez Rojas, inset, allegedly killed Robert O’Connor at a Tampa home on Nov. 7, 2023. Video captured Martinez Rojas strangling O’Connor. He’s facing a murder charge. Friends found O’Connor’s body on Nov. 10. (Mug shot: Tampa police; House mug: Google Maps)
The home had a camera system that captured the majority of the living room. A bloodied fingerprint was on the cord, which was unplugged. Detectives reviewed the camera footage from Nov. 4 to Nov. 7, which shows O’Connor letting Martinez Rojas in the home around 7:25 p.m. on Nov. 6. They had sex and O’Connor asked Martinez Rojas to leave around midnight on Nov. 7. Martinez refused to leave and the two begin arguing.
Martinez Rojas then attacked O’Connor and knocked him to the floor. O’Connor tried to free himself but was unsuccessful, investigators wrote.
“Martinez can then be seen attempting to strangle the victim for several minutes. Finally, Martinez stands on the victim’s throat until the victim’s body can be seen going limp,” the affidavit said.
The suspect then dragged O’Connor to the bedroom. The video continued for several additional minutes and Martinez was seen walking around the house with bloodied clothing and leaving behind bloody footprints, the affidavit said. He also is carrying a large kitchen knife. He did not appear to have any injuries to the neck area, which he had when authorities found him.
Martinez Rojas was arrested on the first-degree murder charge and taken to the Hillsborough County Jail.
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