On March 27, a 51-year-old Florida man was arrested on suspicion of murder after undergoing a background and fingerprint check while applying for a job. The incident took place in Delray Beach.
According to NBC News, the defendant applied for a job at a fire and water cleanup company in December. As part of the application process, he was required to submit fingerprints and undergo a background check. However, in January, a national database flagged the fingerprints after they matched evidence from a murder that had been uploaded by detectives decades earlier. As a result of the match, agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement placed him under surveillance and managed to obtain some of his DNA for testing. It ended up matching DNA gathered from the crime scene.
The defendant is accused of killing a 68-year-old woman at her workplace in 1998. The victim had recently given her notice and was just days from leaving her job and renewing her wedding vows. Instead, she was found beaten and stabbed to death. Detectives were able to obtain blood and fingerprints from the crime scene, but they couldn’t identify a suspect until now. The defendant was charged with first-degree murder and held at Hillsborough County Detention Center.
Murder defendants could face serious consequences, including life in prison or the death penalty, if convicted. However, with the aid of an Orlando, Florida, murder and violent charges attorney, it might be possible to successfully dispute the accusations and get the charges dismissed. If the case moves forward, the attorney may advise negotiating a plea deal that mitigates the most serious charges, which could lead to a reduced sentence.
Source: NBC 2, “Florida man applies for job, ends up arrested for murder,” March 28, 2019