Hearing Reveals Detroit Firefighter Was Beaten To Death With Gym Weight
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Details revealed in court about the December beating death of a 59-year-old Detroit firefighter say he was killed with a gym weight plate as he slept.
Detroit police Sgt. Lance Sullivan read Wednesday from a transcript of an interrogation of 32-year-old Timmy Soto in which Soto says he killed David Madrigal with the plate and then stole Madrigal's safe, guns and SUV, Mlive.com reported.
The testimony was part of a hearing that resumes May 13 to determine if the case goes to trial. Soto, Nicole O'Neill, 33 of Detroit, and Christian Rasnick, 19 of Trenton, are charged with murder, armed robbery, larceny and arson.
According to the testimony, Madrigal invited Soto over to drink on December 19. Soto showed up at the west side home on Vaughn Street with O'Neill and Rasnick and was welcomed inside. As the night went on, Soto apparently became upset because Madrigal was allegedly hitting on O'Neill during the night.
"Soto told police that seeing Madrigal touch O'Neill caused him to have 'flashbacks' to witnessing sexual abuse in the past, and it 'made me snap,'" the report said.
Soto told police he left the home during the night to get some drugs and when he returned, Madrigal was sleeping in a chair. According to testimony, Soto then picked up a weight plate and struck Madrigal twice in the head. The trio ransacked the house, stealing a safe and Madrigal's SUV, and fled the scene. According to testimony, the trio split the safe's bounty, $1,500 and two guns, before dumping Madrigal's SUV in southwest Detroit and setting it on fire.
Two days later, Madrigal's body was found by his son after the 26-year fire department veteran failed to return telephone calls. The trauma was so severe, investigators initially thought he had been shot to death.
The report says Rasnick and O'Neill knew they were going to Madrigal's house with the intention of robbery, but they didn't plan for him to end up dead. Things took a fatal turn only after Soto apparently realized he couldn't get away with the caper because Madrigal knew him too well, according to the report.
The hearing is scheduled to resume next week.
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