MBPD: Murder Suspect Denied Building Managers Entry Into Bloody Apartment
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami Beach Police say surveillance video shows a calm and collected Jonathan Alonso leaving a luxury condominium building where he lived with the man who was reportedly his companion and roommate, Louis Piper.
Police say minutes before Alonso left with his dog in tow on Wednesday, he was confronted by building managers who went to check on Piper because he hadn't been seen at work recently.
Detectives say Alonso wouldn't let the managers inside and said he hadn't seen Piper in a few days before changing his story. When Alonso walked out of the building, he was asked if he reached Piper.
Detectives wrote in the arrest report, "(Alonso) advised, 'No, I can't, I'm in a rush, my ride is waiting for me.' (Alonso) was not seen again."
That is until Friday when someone spotted Alonso near AmericanAirlines Arena, where he was arrested.
Detectives say Alonso "…was in possession of victim Piper's credit cards, had a significant cut, minor cuts and abrasions to both hands."
The police report is also revealing more about what happened inside the apartment.
Investigators say there were signs of a struggle, several bloody knives and that Piper had been stabbed to death.
Police say Piper's body was in an advanced state of decomposition and that Alonso apparently was inside the bloody apartment with that body.
Police also say that while Alonso was in an interview room here at the police department, he ripped a digital camera and microphone off the wall.
So in addition to the murder charge, Alonso will face a charge of criminal mischief.
Court records show Piper and Alonso had problems in the past. Piper had gone to court claiming to be a victim of domestic violence.
The records show there was an injunction against Alonso but that injunction was lifted because Piper failed to appear in court.
"In this case they do reside together. It's part of the investigation but we do believe it was domestic," Miami Beach Police Spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez said.
Alonso has been arrested in the past for grand theft, disorderly conduct and marijuana possession.
Last September, Piper filed a complaint in civil court against Alonso saying he lived rent free with him for nearly a year and a half. Piper claims he had asked Alonso to leave the condo for good but he would not.
Rodriguez told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "The number one goal here is safety and we need to apprehend anyone who may have been involved. Our crime scene investigators and detectives have been working to collect a lot of evidence from the scene. We are working very patiently and methodically to acquire as much information as possible from the scene."
Security cameras captured Alonso leaving the building last Wednesday with a small dog. On the same day, a foul stench coming from the condo unit led police to Piper's body.
"This is a very quiet building," said Cheryl Hochberg, whose daughter lives on the 12th floor, the same floor Piper was murdered. "Nobody here gets into trouble or anything like that. And the whole area is such a great quiet area," she said.
"It's definitely surprising. Not something you would expect in this area," said Sunita Bahagwan. She lives five floors below with her husband and two small children.
Other residents in the building said they could smell the stench of decomposition. Police believe Piper had been dead inside his condo for four or five days.
"Horrible. I am very unhappy. I have been here 17 years, I am an owner. I am horrified. I hope they find whoever did this and put him in jail forever and ever," said a long-time resident.
