MIAMI – An arrest has been made in connection with the death of a Miami woman whose body was discovered inside her apartment over two months ago, authorities confirmed Monday.
According to Officer Mike Vega, a spokesman for the Miami Police Department, officers received a call just before 8:30 a.m. on May 28 about an unresponsive woman who was found inside an apartment building located near the 400 block of Northeast 82nd Street.
Police said 41-year-old Sujelry Brito, who lived alone, was found dead inside her bedroom from a single gunshot wound.
Authorities said during the investigation, witnesses provided details about Brito’s recent ex-boyfriend, who they identified as 30-year-old Larry Julius Burton Jr.
Detectives described his vehicle in an arrest report as a white Chevrolet Tahoe resembling an older police vehicle and confirmed that Burton had a history of domestic violence.
Surveillance footage showed a vehicle matching Burton’s arriving and leaving the scene within the timeline of Brito’s murder, the report stated.
On May 20 at approximately 5:44 p.m., a sworn interview with a witness further corroborated the video evidence, identifying a Black male walking from the vehicle to Brito’s apartment, according to investigators.
After Miami police detectives obtained search warrants for phone records on May 30, analysis revealed Burton’s phone was near the scene during the time of the murder, authorities said.
Police said financial records led investigators to an address near the 6000 block of Northeast First Court, where a search uncovered a Taurus G2C 9mm firearm hidden in a sofa cushion.
Prior to executing the search warrant, Burton was found sitting in a vehicle, where police said he was stopped and taken into custody on Friday.
Detectives confirmed Burton was then transported to the MPD’s homicide office for questioning, where he made a confession that was redacted in the publicly released report.
Burton’s arrest report states that he is facing one count each of second-degree murder, burglary of an occupied dwelling and illegal possession of a weapon as a convicted felon.
As of Monday, he was being held without bond at the Miami-Dade County Pre-Trial Detention Center, where his bond has not yet been determined.
Police have not yet disclosed a motive in the fatal shooting.