Man arrested in Palm Beach County in connection with Cape Coral homicide

Reporter: Zach Oliveri Writer: Matthew Seaver
Published: Updated:
Jose Maldonado, 21. Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office

A man was arrested in Palm Beach County on Wednesday in connection with the June 4 shooting homicide of a man in the back of a car in Cape Coral.

According to a booking report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Jose Maldonado, 21, of Lexington, Kentucky, was arrested at a home on Norris Road in Wellington after law enforcement learned he had arrived there two days before and was staying with the homeowner.

Maldonado was transported to PBSO’s jail. He was later extradited to Lee County for a warrant related to a homicide investigation.

According to a report from the Cape Coral Police Department, detectives established probable cause to arrest Maldonado after investigating the shooting death of Fernando Batista Montero in the backseat of a car near SW 10th Terrace.

Scene of the shooting on SW 10th Terrace in Cape Coral on June 4, 2022. (Credit: WINK News)

A neighbor connected to Montero told detectives that he had seen the victim hanging out with men he had never seen before, saying he believed that the two men were going to rob Montero because he was wearing a lot of expensive jewelry.

The neighbor asked detectives if Montero had been found with his black satchel, saying he brought it everywhere with him and was known to carry large sums of money within it.

The victim was wearing the satchel while he was inside the garage but no longer had it after being declared dead, according to the police report.

A woman who works in Kentucky and was in Cape Coral visiting her boyfriend told detectives that she knew the two unidentified men only as “Jose” and “the Dominican.”

She told detectives that the men frequented the Kentucky strip club where she works and that she knew they were going to be in Southwest Florida when she was. She described both men to CCPD and provided what she thought were their phone numbers.

The phone number for “Jose” led detectives to Jose Maldonado.

An eyewitness told CCPD that Maldonado arrived at the scene of the homicide with the other unidentified man before hanging out with Montero and another mutual friend. According to the witness, everyone appeared to be getting along, and he did not witness anyone arguing.

According to the police report, around 20 minutes after arriving at the house, Montero walked to his car, which was parked “nose-to-nose” in the driveway with Maldonado’s car. When the victim backed his car out of the driveway to allow the suspects to exit, the witness said he saw Maldonado point and shoot his firearm several times at Montero’s car, continuing to shoot while walking towards it. The witness said he never saw the victim with a firearm.

Law enforcement was able to find a home surveillance video that showed Maldonado and the other man firing handguns toward Montero’s car. In the video, police say Maldonado was seen opening the driver-side door and forcefully removing what appeared to be a satchel from the Montero before fleeing with the unidentified man in their car.

The mutual friend who was hanging out with the two suspects, Montero, and the other eyewitness told CCPD he was inside the vehicle with the victim when the shooting began and that he did not see the victim with a firearm. He said he believed Maldonado and the other suspect killed Montero in order to rob him.

Neighbors in the area still remember waking up to their street being a crime scene.

“I heard all this noise. And I’m saying, ‘what is that noise,'” said neighbor Bay DeMarco. “It’s scary you find out your husband or your boyfriend is shot to death in the middle of the street.”

Police have arrested Maldonado, but DeMarco wants to know where the other man involved is.

“I mean, is he in Kentucky? Or wherever somewhere else? You know, so I guess it’s not going to be easy finding the second guy,” said DeMarco.

WINK News reached out to the Cape Coral Police Department for more information, and they only said that it is still an active investigation.

WINK News also spoke with Montero’s daughter, who said the arrest brings clarity to the case of her father’s death but not a conclusion.

Maldonado faces charges of second-degree murder and armed robbery. He is being held in the Lee County Jail without bond.

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