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Man charged For Jeremy Baptist Murder – Body Still Not Found
posted (May 23, 2013)
Last night we told you about the worrying disappearance of Jeremy Baptist. Well, tonight, he is presumed dead and police have charged a man for his murder – even though his body hasn't been found. We'll tell you about that shortly, but first with the assistance of the San Pedro Sun, Daniel Ortiz has the story from San Pedro.

Daniel Ortiz reporting
Tonight, Police continue to look for clues which could lead them to find the body of 25 year-old Jeremy Baptist, the San Pedro resident who went missing on Sunday. But for San Pedro Police, this they are not optimistic that they will find him alive. Baptist was last seen at a party in the San Juan area with his common-law wife and baby. He dropped them home at around 10:30 p.m., went back to the party , and later that night, police had to respond to a shooting report.

Voice of Supt. Luis Castellanos - OC, San Pedro Police
"Police responded but they didn't find anything at the time and there after information started to come in that someone had been shot and as a result we started to investigate. We have not recovered the body of Baptist but the information is more suggesting that there is a possible murder."

With the fact of the missing person's report from Baptist's common-law wife, and strong eyewitness reports, police believe that he was killed in that shooting, and then taken away by his assailants to be disposed of.

Voice of Supt. Luis Castellanos
"We have impounded a boat and where we believe may be traces of blood but we're getting forensic experts to guide us in their technical field. We have a person in custody."

Daniel Ortiz
"What leads you to believe that this gentleman can assist, sir?"

Voice of Supt. Luis Castellanos
"Well we're getting information and statements that is suggesting that he is somewhat involved."

Daniel Ortiz
"In what fashion?"

Voice of Supt. Luis Castellanos
"The information we're gathering is that there was an altercation between himself and Jeremy and as a result Jeremy was shot. He was placed in the boat that we have here presently in detention and he's body was pulled up."

According to the family, whatever the people saw him as, he didn't deserve such an end, especially because he wasn't troubling any one at that party.

Voice of Denisha Vallerio - Common-Law Wife of Deceased
"When I am around as bad as Jeremy Baptist may be everyone knows he behaves as long as I am around. He wasn't hanging with his friends that he usually hangs with, he wasn't with anybody. He was someone that nobody would have been able to take advantage of. Nobody can tell me that only one man did that, it was more - they 'chanced' him out of his life. He used to always tell me 'D when they kill me they will have to 'chance' me, I won't go down like that'. And that is what they did to him, I will leave everything in God's hands and He will deal with them."

And they will not be able to get any closure unless the body is recovered.

Voice of Denisha Vallerio
"That is the only thing that hurts us, we want the body so that we can give him a proper burial. At least I want to see that this is what happened to him so that all of us can get over it and accept the fact."

23 year old fisherman and San Mateo resident Lucio Salazar, has been arrested and charged with murder on the DPP's directive. So how can they do that without finding a body? Well, precedent cases state that, quote, "The fact of death is provable by circumstantial evidence, notwithstanding that neither the body nor any trace of the body has been found".

Here's what police have in terms of circumstantial evidence: an eyewitness account saying he saw Baptist shot to the back of his head, and saw his body being hauled into a boat headed to the lagoon. There are also bloodstains in the boat.

Salazar was arraigned this afternoon before Magistrate Sherigne Rodriguez who remanded him to prison until June 26.

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