DAVENPORT, Fla. – A 19-year-old man has been charged with murder and more than a dozen other offenses after a 67-year-old man was found stabbed to death in his Davenport home.
The victim has been identified as John Joseph Torneo. The suspect is Julian Andre Trevino, 19.
Discovery of the Crime
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Torneo was found dead in the bathroom of his Polo Park neighborhood home early Sunday afternoon, December 14, by a friend who had gone to check on him after not hearing from him for three days.
The friend told deputies the home’s locks had recently been changed because a former roommate, identified as Trevino, was no longer allowed to live there. Torneo’s vehicle was also missing from the property.
Tracking the Suspect
Investigators quickly linked Trevino to the crime after discovering Torneo’s bank card had been used at a nearby pizza restaurant and convenience store. Early on the morning of December 15, deputies spotted Torneo’s vehicle traveling south on U.S. 27.
The vehicle was followed into The Ridge neighborhood, where it later exited and crashed into a ditch. Trevino was apprehended after a short foot pursuit, and Torneo’s bank card was found in his possession.
The Confession and Charges
In a news release, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd stated that Trevino admitted to breaking into the home through a window, where Torneo confronted him.
“The suspect grabbed a knife from the kitchen then intentionally attacked and fatally cut Mr. Torneo,” Judd said. “He was then hit multiple times over the head with a wine bottle. The suspect’s motive for the burglary was to steal money.”
Trevino has been charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, armed burglary, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and more than a dozen other related offenses. He is currently being held without bond.