Teen blasts landscaping boss 4 times with 9 mm after going to home improvement store with him, drags and dumps his body off hiking trail: Police

A Minnesota teen is down bars aft shooting and killing a antheral who was some his co-worker and, astatine times, his boss, instrumentality enforcement successful the Land of 10,000 Lakes says.

Emilio Vallejo Ortiz, 18, stands accused of 1 number of murder successful the 2nd degree implicit the decease of a 53-year-old antheral who owned a landscaping concern and worked with the defendant.

The probe began connected Oct. 4, erstwhile a radical of passersby recovered the unfortunate successful a ditch disconnected a hiking way successful Wilkie Park successful Shakopee — a medium-sized metropolis located immoderate 25 miles southwest of Minneapolis.

Officers arrived astatine the parkland and recovered the victim, whose sanction has not been released, astir 30 feet disconnected the way successful the weeds, with dried humor connected his face, according to a transgression ailment obtained by Minneapolis-based Fox affiliate KMSP and section ABC affiliate KSTP.

The antheral besides appeared to person been dragged, constabulary said.

Near the body, a ample excavation of humor was visible, on with 3 spent 9 mm casings, 1 unrecorded 9 mm circular and resistance marks adjacent the trail, according to the charging document. An autopsy indicated the unfortunate died aft being changeable 4 times.

A 4th slug casing was aboriginal recovered astir 150 feet distant from the transgression scene, constabulary said. A radical of hikers told investigators they picked up the slug casing and threw it disconnected the trail.

After identifying the victim, investigators went to his apartment, wherever they recovered signs of damage. Police past learned the unfortunate had reported a break-in the time earlier his assemblage was found.

Neighbors allegedly told instrumentality enforcement that the unfortunate owned a landscaping concern and employed Ortiz. The suspect was allegedly fixed entree to the victim's vehicles and occasionally stayed astatine the victim's apartment, constabulary said.

The victim's sister surmised the suspect and the slain antheral were successful a romanticist relationship, constabulary said. After his arrest, the suspect denied that allegation, according to the charging document.

When asked astir his determination connected the time successful question, Ortiz said the antheral dropped him disconnected astatine a buying halfway that afternoon, constabulary claim. The suspect besides denied driving the man's 2023 Ford Raptor that day.

But surveillance video showed Ortiz driving the Raptor that day with the unfortunate successful the rider seat, constabulary said. In the footage, the 2 halt astatine a location betterment store, get out, bargain a doorway lock, past get backmost successful the car together. Again, Ortiz is seen driving, constabulary claim.

Roughly 5 minutes later, the victim's telephone pinged to an country adjacent wherever his assemblage was yet found, according to the charging document. After that, the victim's telephone ne'er moved until constabulary recovered it disconnected the parkland way the adjacent day, investigators allege.

Law enforcement besides placed Ortiz's ain telephone successful the parkland for astir 20 minutes opening astir the clip the victim's telephone sent that last ping, according to the complaint.

When confronted with the discrepancy shown by the surveillance footage and cellphone determination data, the suspect allegedly told constabulary helium "did not retrieve that day."

After that, helium was arrested.

During an interview, the suspect allegedly denied the narration rumor, said helium worked with the unfortunate during the week and for the victim's landscaping concern connected weekends, and denied owning a gun.

Later, constabulary recovered the Raptor parked astatine an flat astir 1 mile distant from Ortiz's residence, according to the charging document. Inside the defendant's residence, investigators recovered a cardinal to the Raptor.

During a hunt of Ortiz's cellphone, constabulary allegedly recovered a translated connection that read: "Get maine a Glock, buddy."

The suspect is detained successful the Scott County Jail connected $2 cardinal bail. He is slated to look successful tribunal connected Friday.