Law enforcement in Sumter County, Florida, arrested Ricardo Agustin Lorenzo, an illegal alien hailing from Guatemala, on second-degree murder charges on April 13. Lorenzo is accused of stabbing a man to death at a Days Inn Hotel in Wildwood, Florida.
The suspect is believed to have fatally stabbed Bilder Pablo, also an illegal alien, and subsequently fled the scene. Police arrived on the scene and were able to locate Pablo. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital in Gainesville, Florida, where he died of his injuries.
After a brief manhunt, Ricardo Agustin Lorenzo was seen walking down Interstate 75 but attempted to flee when law enforcement arrived. He was quickly found hiding in a nearby wooded area. Police were able to take the illegal immigrant and suspected murderer into custody without further incident. At this time, the motivation for the murder is not known.
Lorenzo is currently being held at the Sumter County Jail without the option for bail. In addition, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer request on Lorenzo, meaning they would take custody should he be released on bail or on the orders of a judge.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has encountered at least 145,000 illegal immigrants from Guatemala already this fiscal year, according to data from ICE.