Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story identified Manuel Marin as Presidente Supermarket’s co-founder, instead he’s a former owner of some Presidente stores.
A former MMA fighter and a former promoter that are being tried for involvement with the 2011 killing of a man linked to a former supermarket owner appeared in court on Monday.
Four people in total were arrested in the case, including Manuel Marin, a former owner of some Presidente Supermarket stores.
Prosecutors told the court on Monday that Marin gave his long-time friend, and Ex-MMA fighter, Alexis Vila Perdomo, the task of finding men to kill his wife's alleged lover, Camilo Salazar.
However, Vila's attorney says his client was in Las Vegas when the murder took place.
"My client, Alexis Vila Perdomo, is the perfect example of someone getting sucked into something he had nothing to do with," Defense attorney Theodore Mastos says.
Promoter Robert Isaac is accused of driving with Marin to a rural area near Okeechobee in order to torture and murder Salazar. His defense says there's no evidence to tie him to the case.
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The prosecution's key witness is another MMA fighter, Ariel Gandulla. He took a plea deal in exchange for his testimony.
Marin's trial is set to begin in November of next year.
