A man who once worked for a Palm Beach County doctor has been arrested in connection with his death in July, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office confirms.
NBC affiliate WPTV in West Palm Beach reports that 27-year-old Saul Lopez, of Miami Beach, was arrested on December 27 in connection with the death of Dr. Ronald Schwartz who was found shot to death at his Jupiter home in July.
Authorities received a phone call from one of Schwartz' friends who was concerned for his welfare, stating that he and Schwartz' spoke daily but that he hadn't heard from him in several days.
Deputies arrived at Schwartz' home in the 9000 block of Mockingbird Trail in Jupiter and found that the rear doors to the residence were open, and the interior had been ransacked.
They discovered Schwartz' body near the living room. He'd been shot twice, once to his head and once underneath his right arm.
Cash, jewelry and guns were stolen from Schwartz' house at the time of the killing. Authorities later found some of that stolen property at Lopez' home, located in the 3500 block of Northwest 11th Avenue in Miami Beach.
Lopez had been working for Schwartz prior to his death, investigators say. According to an arrest report, Saul was suspected previously of stealing money from Schwartz, which prompted Schwartz to fire him.
In an interview with Miami Beach Police, Lopez admitted to stealing from Schwartz.
Lopez has been charged with armed robbery and first degree murder. According to deputies, he implicated himself and another person. That second suspect has reportedly fled the country.
Detectives are working with the federal government to have that person extradited to the United States.
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It is not known if Lopez has hired an attorney.
