A charge of premeditated murder has been reduced to second-degree murder following the death of a man in Dania Beach.
The body of Hector Alcaraz Rodriguez was found in his apartment in the 200 block of Southeast Sixth Street about 11:30 a.m. July 3, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.
Rodriguez failed to show up for work at the Stay Inn boutique hotel that Sunday morning.
A concerned coworker and supervisor went to check on him and called 911 after finding Rodriguez on the floor with a large kitchen knife sticking through the left side of his neck, according to the investigative report.
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The Broward Medical Examiner determined the cause of death was strangulation and Rodriguez was stabbed in the neck after he died. He also had cuts, scrapes, and bruises on his face and body.
DNA samples were collected from the victim’s cheek, neck, and fingernail.
Detectives canvassed the neighborhood collecting hours of surveillance videos from various homes and businesses. The videos showed a masked suspect walking toward the victim’s home, disappearing from the videos for about 17 minutes, and then quickly walking away from the apartment after 11 p.m. July 2, the report stated.
About 7 p.m. Aug. 12, a 911 caller reported seeing a man matching the description loitering near the Lighthouse Community Church at 650 S. Federal Highway, in Dania Beach. When questioned by deputies, the man identified himself as “Jay Smith.”
Detectives eventually identified him as 20-year-old Jake Kristian Varian Braves, after confiscating his Bahamian passport.
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During questioning, investigators said Braves admitted to knowing the victim from work but did not socialize with Rodriguez and was not at his apartment the night of the murder.
Braves gave detectives a DNA swab which later matched DNA found on the victim’s body. Detectives said they also found credit cards belonging to Rodriguez in Braves’ backpack.
Braves was arrested and charged with five counts that included premeditated murder, but the charge was changed to second-degree murder at a court hearing Sept. 8.
He remains in the Broward County Jail without bond, records show.
