A 22-year-old Florida man has been charged with murder in the death of a woman found floating in a canal west of Delray Beach last month.
Christopher Diego Soto was also charged with destruction of evidence and providing a false statement. He was denied bond at a court appearance on Tuesday and is due back in court on August 2.
Palm Beach County deputies responded to a report of a body found on June 25, WPTV reported. The body was wrapped in a black blanket with a floral pattern and floating in the canal.
Investigators later positively identified the woman, but her family invoked Marsy’s Law, which allows investigators to shield the identities of crime victims and their families.
An autopsy determined the woman had been stabbed eight times.
Detectives received a tip two days after the body was found and spoke with a woman who said she hadn’t seen the victim since June 21 and recalled her wearing clothing similar to what the dead woman was wearing. She said the victim had been living with acquaintances, including Soto. Soto’s girlfriend, Jennifer Pumariega, assisted investigators.
At one point, Pumariega told detectives, she saw a large garbage bag near Soto’s vehicle with “a foul odor.” The bag appeared to contain “possibly towels socks, and a shirt,” she said. Inside the home, she said, she noticed the floor was wet and there was a strong odor of bleach throughout.
Soto’s arrest report said that he admitted having sex with the victim on June 23. Pumariega said that she noticed a bed sheet missing from her room and asked her boyfriend about it then asked if he killed the woman.
“I could be guilty,” he told reportedly Pumariega.
“Christopher Soto never had a plausible explanation for all the blood being found inside the residence,” the arrest report said. “At one point, Christopher Soto made a statement about the blood possibly being the aftermath of using needles in the house. All Christopher Soto would say is the ‘POLICE WILL FIND OUT THEY WILL DO THEIR JOB.’ ”
Detectives said the victim’s Ford Escape was found at the home, along with other forensic evidence.
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[Featured image: Shutterstock]
