Man indicted in fatal shooting of 92-year-old neighbor in Pembroke Pines

Wesley James Perez. (Broward Sheriff's Office)

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Grand jurors have indicted a 25-year-old South Florida man for first-degree murder in the shooting death of his 92-year-old neighbor.

Wesley James Perez was arrested in March 2020, two days after the body of Fernando Frias was found during a welfare check at his home in Pembroke Pines.

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Police say Frias was shot 11 times.

Neighbors had called 911 after hearing gunshots.

An incoherent caller also dialed in but kept hanging up. Police traced the call to Perez’s home.

He was found rambling in Spanish and taken to a hospital for a mental health check.

Surveillance video led police to arrest Perez.

Fernando Frias is the father of Miami Herald food and dining editor Carlos Frias.

He told The Miami Herald his Cuban father no longer lived at the Pembroke Pines home, and the accused killer was a former neighbor who had helped him with yard work a few times.

Perez, who was born in Hialeah, has a previous arrest record. He was arrested for driving under the influence in 2017 and in 2012.


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