Executive Summary
- Saul Garcia Gonzalez, 40, has been charged with second-degree murder in Miami-Dade.
- Police allege Gonzalez shot Nerida Martel and dumped her body in a canal.
- The suspect allegedly claimed Martel was detained by ICE to explain her disappearance.
- Phone records tracked Gonzalez to the disposal site, according to investigators.
A Florida landscaper has been charged with second-degree murder after authorities allege he killed the mother of his child and attempted to cover up her disappearance by claiming she had been detained by immigration officials. Saul Garcia Gonzalez, 40, was taken into custody on Wednesday following an investigation by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
According to a police report obtained by WPLG, Gonzalez is accused of shooting 37-year-old Nerida Martel in the head and disposing of her body in a Miami canal. Investigators state that following the alleged crime, the suspect attempted to mislead Martel’s family regarding her whereabouts. The report indicates that Gonzalez told relatives he believed the victim was possibly in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
When a search of custody records revealed that Martel was not being held by federal authorities, friends persuaded Gonzalez to report her missing. He filed the report on October 9, three days after he claimed to have last seen her dropping their 2-year-old daughter off at a daycare center. Two days after the report was filed, Martel’s body was discovered in a canal near the couple’s residence, sustaining a gunshot wound to the head.
Detectives quickly identified inconsistencies in the suspect’s narrative. The police report notes that relatives described Gonzalez as verbally abusive and stated that Martel had recently reached out to a friend seeking housing for herself and her daughter. Additionally, law enforcement officials stated that phone records placed Gonzalez at the canal location around the time Martel disappeared.
Judicial Process and Investigation
Gonzalez was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where he is currently being held without bond. The investigation remains active as authorities work to solidify the timeline of events leading to the homicide. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
