PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A Pompano Beach man faces capital murder charges in connection with a deadly robbery that left one man dead and another wounded in Lake Worth in September 2024.
Rodney Augustin, 25, was arrested Tuesday on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit robbery with a firearm in the killing of Marco Escobar, 58, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrest affidavit.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office responded to the shooting shortly before 10 p.m. at a residence in Lake Worth that investigators later determined was operating as a brothel. They found Escobar lying unresponsive near the front door with multiple gunshot wounds. A second victim was found nearby suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg.
Investigators retrieved surveillance cameras positioned near the scene that captured the 17-minute incident. The footage shows a white Chrysler 300 arriving at 9:25 p.m. and three suspects executing what appears to be a planned robbery.
Cameras show that at 9:29 p.m., a suspect entered the residence first. At 9:32 p.m., two more suspects exited the car - one carrying what appeared to be a Draco-style rifle. After gunshots rang out, all three fled by 9:43 p.m.
Investigators found GPS data from the Chrysler 300's built-in cellular system that tracked the vehicle's movements from Pompano Beach to Lake Worth and back. Additionally, cell phone geolocation data for two key numbers showed the phones traveled the identical route as the vehicle.
Over the following weeks, investigators arrested the three suspects. Spencer Privert, 26 at the time, initially denied involvement but later confessed to being the shooter, saying the gun went off during a struggle with Escobar. Anthony Jennings, 26 at the time, was identified through fingerprints found on the vehicle. The 14-year-old told investigators he was threatened with death if he did not participate.
Further investigation revealed Augustin, who was 23 at the time, as the alleged orchestrator of the murder. Court documents show he worked at a connected Pompano Beach brothel and had inside knowledge of the Lake Worth operation. He knew Rubi Escobar, who worked at the Lake Worth location.
According to suspect confessions, Augustin spent four months convincing the group to commit the robbery, promising them a split of the $50,000 they planned to steal.
After the murder, suspects returned to Augustin's residence, where he allegedly told them "it's better him than y'all," provided bleach to clean evidence, collected their clothing to destroy in a barbecue pit and deleted text messages from phones.
Augustin faces charges of first-degree premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit robbery with a firearm and is scheduled to make his first appearance in court Thursday morning. As a capital case, he could face the death penalty if convicted.
