COCOA, FLORIDA: At the end of July, two men from Cocoa were detained on suspicion of killing a man by beating him to death and then disposing of his body in a body of water. Ismael Barrera Sarceno, 34, and Douglas Expec Lopez, 30, were reportedly held by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office for the beating death of Juan Carlos Alvarez, 30.
Alvarez was discovered floating at Waterway Park in Merritt Island on the morning of July 24, according to deputies. His body was later retrieved. Sarceno, Lopez, and Alvarez were reportedly out drinking at various locations in Central Brevard County when an argument broke out on the way home, leading to attacks on Alvarez from both Lopez and Sarceno, as reported by Click Orlando.
Lopez and Sarceno charged with second-degree murder
According to deputies, Lopez and Sarceno dumped Alvarez's body in the water after realizing he had died and then left the scene. Following their second-degree murder arrests, both men were lodged in the Brevard County Jail. Anyone with information that could help the investigation is urged to call the sheriff's office at 321-633-8413 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.
Police shootout in Orlando
Previously, Daton Viel, a 28-year-old Florida resident, fired "multiple times" at SWAT personnel before being fatally shot. Viel was apparently on the run after shooting at two different officers during a traffic stop. The incident happened on Friday, August 4, in Orlando after the cops pulled over a car that was allegedly linked to a homicide in Miami. During a press conference, Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith revealed that the shooter was killed on Saturday, August 5. According to authorities, the suspect managed to shoot both officers, hit them, and escaped in a different car.
The officer added that at around 6 am on Saturday, police were able to identify the suspect at a Holiday Inn following an "extensive search." The suspect, who locked himself in a room, was approached several times and asked to safely surrender before being shot to death, according to Smith. The officers, who were not identified immediately, were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. On Saturday afternoon, hospital officials stated that they were expected to be fully recovered soon, as per Click Orlando.
