JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man accused of stabbing his roommate to death in Jacksonville pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and evidence tampering charges Thursday morning.
Action News Jax reported in October when witnesses saw the suspect, now known as Yery Noel Medina Ulloa, 24, covered in blood walking along Homard Place off Monument Road and called 911.
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Police followed a trail of blood that led them to a home on Lone Star Road, where they found the body of 46-year-old Francisco Javier Cuellar.
According to an arrest report, a witness told the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office that he received a call from the Ulloa saying he “killed Uncle Francisco” because he “hit him.”
Originally, police said the suspect was 17 years old. However, the arrest report states, Medina Ulloa initially provided a false name and age, but police were able to confirm his identity.
Christina Pushaw, the press secretary for Gov. Ron DeSantis, said the suspect is “an illegal immigrant from Honduras” who settled in Jacksonville three months ago.
The arrest report said the murder was also caught on camera. Police said cameras facing the living room of the home show “the suspect stabbing the victim numerous times and repeatedly hitting him with a chair.” JSO also recovered a knife in a wooded area that appeared to be covered in blood.
His pretrial hearing is scheduled for Nov. 30 at 9 a.m.
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Oct. 10 Update: The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office have charged a 17-year-old with murder after a man was found dead inside a Regency home on Wednesday, Oct. 6.
An investigation determined that the suspect, who was seen covered in blood that night, was involved in the murder.
Officers interviewed the 17-year-old and subsequently arrested him for murder as a result of his involvement in the death of the victim.
Due to the suspect’s age, Action News Jax has chosen not to release his name.
Original Story from Oct. 7:
Police are investigating after a man was found dead inside a home in Jacksonville’s Regency area late Wednesday night.
The investigation began just before midnight on Homard Place after police received a report about a man, believed to be in his late teens to early 20s, seen covered in blood walking along the road.
When police arrived, witnesses told them the man was last seen entering the nearby woods.
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Officers found the man a short time later in the area.
Witnesses said the man was first seen walking around on Lone Star Road, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
When police arrived to that road, they found a man, believed to be in his 40s, dead inside a home.
#CRIMESCENE: @JSOPIO says a man has died from suspected foul play. His body was found inside a home on Lone Star Rd in the Regency neighborhood. A 911 call at 11:55PM reported a man walking nearby covered in blood & police are questioning him. That led police here. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/LFEYlAOx0h
— Jessica Barreto (@BarretoReports) October 7, 2021
A JSO investigation revealed that both men are believed to live at the home and foul play is suspected.
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During a news conference, JSO was asked whether there were any signs of self-defense and if the situation appeared to be domestic, but police said that information is unknown.
Anyone with any information is asked to call JSO at 630-0500, email at jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org, or call CrimeStoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.
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