‘Senseless and completely unnecessary’: Suspect in Lyft driver slaying indicted on first-degree murder charges
WEST PALM BEACH — A man accused of shooting and killing a 74-year-old South Florida Lyft driver, dumping his body in the Okeechobee woods, and fleeing the state in his car, was indicted Tuesday on first-degree murder charges, officials said.
Matthew Flores, 35, was indicted by an Okeechobee County grand jury on three counts, according to the indictment: first-degree murder with a firearm, robbery with a firearm resulting in death or great bodily harm, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The victim, Palm Beach Gardens resident Gary Levin, was a beloved father and friend, FDLE Fort Myers Special Agent Eli Lawson said at a news conference at the FDLE office in West Palm Beach on Wednesday.
“The murder was cold, senseless and completely unnecessary,” he said, adding that Levin’s loved ones have experienced “insurmountable grief.”
Lawson was joined by Okeechobee Sheriff Noel Stephen and Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Clint Shannon.
The indictment comes after a series of close calls in which Flores evaded law enforcement. Flores was fleeing law enforcement in a stolen vehicle after shooting and killing a different man in Hardee County, Lawson said. At one point, agents spotted the suspect in Orange County, but he eluded them again.
A grand jury in Hardee County indicted Flores in February on charges of first-degree murder, grand theft auto, possession of a firearm by a felon, and tampering with evidence, according to court records.
Following the shooting in that case, Flores stole another vehicle and ended up in Palm Beach County, where he abandoned the vehicle in a driveway and got an acquaintance to call a Lyft ride for him, Lawson said.
Levin arrived and picked Flores up. The following day, Levin was reported missing. His phone was turned off, his daughter had written on Facebook, unusual for her father, who was “never without his technology.”
Agents believe the two had left Palm Beach County and driven into Okeechobee, Lawson said, where Flores shot Levin inside of the car and dumped his body in a rural area.
Police investigating the case had been able to place Flores as Levin’s last passenger. They tracked Levin’s red Kia Stinger to North Carolina, where officers found the suspect, Lawson said, but “he wasn’t finished running at that point.”
Flores fled again into Rutherford County, where Florida Highway Patrol and local deputies apprehended him, Lawson said.
He was held in North Carolina on $2 million bond before he was extradited to Hardee County in August.
It remains unclear whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Flores. The State Attorney’s Office has not decided yet, Lawson said.
Brian Workman, Assistant State Attorney for the 19th Judicial Circuit, declined to comment on the case Wednesday.
Officials “fully expect” the case to go to trial and declined to comment on further details about the shooting, such as whether Flores was cooperating or if he and Levin had spoken in the moments before Levin’s death.
“Our agents and partner agencies have worked relentlessly over the last nine months putting a case together,” Lawson said. “I can tell you we have a solid case against Mr. Flores.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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