WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A condom found among the belongings of a gunshot victim on the day after Thanksgiving helped connect Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigators to his suspected killer.
Juan Viera, 43, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of first-degree murder.
According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office probable cause affidavit, the victim was found dead of a gunshot wound on Drexel Road near West Palm Beach. Deputies said his pants were pulled down and a Magnum condom was found in his possession.
After reviewing surveillance video from a nearby Shell gas station, detectives saw a bearded man in the same area around the time that witnesses reported hearing what sounded like a firecracker.
Detectives said they located the man's Chevrolet Equinox at a mobile home park on Drexel Road the next day. When deputies stopped the driver of the vehicle for an expired license plate tag, he identified himself as Viera.
Investigators said Viera was wearing the same clothes and cap as the man in the surveillance video.
While investigators searched Viera's home, they found a gun and shirt matching the one seen in the surveillance video lying next to each other on the bed.
"Detectives also located a used condom on the floor next to the bed and a three-pack box of Magnum condoms in the bedroom next to the handgun," the affidavit said. "There was one condom missing from the package."
Investigators also noticed a large amount of hair in the bathroom sink next to a beard trimmer.
"It should be noted that in the Shell gas station video, Viera has a full beard, and when he was arrested, he only had a goatee," the affidavit said. "It appeared he shaved part of his beard in the day between the homicide and his arrest."
The victim's identity was redacted in the affidavit.