Relatives of the victims told me today that this has caused them more pain, that they do not know the suspect personally, but he was identified thanks to a surveillance camera in the cemetery.
It is a merciless act that was caught on camera. But now relatives of the two victims buried in the Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Cemetery say their loved ones will finally be able to rest in peace. Following the arrest of 26 year old Brian RODRIGUEZ, the suspect in destroying the graves.
Rodriguez was arrested this past Thursday by the Miami police. A cemetery surveillance camera captured him at the scene when it was already closed. He himself recorded himself destroying the graves of Andrés Zacarías and Jenser Salazar.
Rodriguez published the images on social networks and also sent them to the relatives of the victims.
“He studied with Jenser and Andrés, they were in school together, we have no idea why, what is the reason, why he destroyed something like that, we don’t know why they weren’t involved in anything together as far as we know.”
The victims were 21 years old, when they, along with two more friends, lost their lives in an accident caused by a drunk driver on January 1, 2021.
According to the investigation, the first act of vandalism occurred in March. A video posted on Instagram shows a person kicking flowers and spray painting the headstone. Then in June, another video titled “round two, had to strike again”, the person is seen hammering the grave after spray painting it. Police say friends identified Rodríguez from those images and from the car he was driving.
Rodriguez was released after posting bail, but has a court hearing. He faces charges of damaging another’s property, disturbing the contents of a grave, and theft.
