DANIA BEACH, Fla. – A 20-year-old man has been arrested in the July 2 stabbing death of 44-year-old Hector Armando Alcaraz Rodriguez in Dania Beach, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said Jake Kristain Varian Braves, also known by the alias “Jay Smith,” stabbed Rodriguez at his home on Southeast Sixth Street sometime that night. Just after 11:30 a.m. the next day, someone called authorities to report that Rodriguez had been stabbed and deputies soon arrived to find his body, they said Wednesday.
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Rodriguez worked at a nearby hotel, neighbors said at the time.
According to BSO, on Friday, deputies received information about a man loitering in the 600 block of South Federal Highway in Dania Beach and arrested Braves for loitering and providing a false identification to law enforcement.
“Detectives interviewed Braves and learned that he and Rodriguez were co-workers, and during the arrest of Braves, he had some of Rodriguez’s property believed taken after the murder,” BSO spokesperson Carey Codd said.
The next day, crime analysts matched Braves’ DNA to DNA recovered from Rodriguez, deputies said.
Braves is facing a first-degree murder charge as well as a charge of dealing in stolen property. His mugshot wasn’t immediately available as of Wednesday afternoon.