LaBelle (August 14, 2024) –Rafael Montejo Luna has been found guilty as charged of Second-Degree Murder for the murder of a Clewiston woman. The jury returned the verdict this afternoon, following a two-day trial in Hendry County.
Assistant State Attorneys Trevor Selph and Abe Thornburg prosecuted the case.
The crime was discovered in April 2021, when the victim’s son contacted the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, to check on his mother, because he could not get in touch with her. Deputies went to the home and found the victim, deceased, on the floor of a bedroom. The Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death was asphyxiation by smothering.
The defendant, who had previously lived at the home, was asked to meet with law enforcement multiple times, and agreed to do so, but never showed up. During that time, the investigation revealed evidence that led to the defendant being responsible for the crime. The defendant’s DNA was found under the victim’s fingernails, his cell phone was in the area at the time of the murder, and Hendry
County Sheriff’s Office license plate readers captured photos of the defendant’s car, driving in the area around the time of the murder. A warrant was then issued for his arrest.
The defendant fled to Cuba and was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and extradited back to the U.S. to stand trial.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
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