Nicolas Soares, wanted for a 2010 murder in Miami has finally been arrested in Kenya after more than a decade on the run. Yes, while the country was and still busy fighting crime, this man was dodging U.S. Marshals like it was a full-time job.
According to reports, Soares is now in the grips of authorities and facing the consequences of his actions after 15 years.
Nicolas Soares, 34, was booked into a Miami-Dade jail Wednesday on second-degree murder and armed robbery charges, in the Sept. 7, 2010 shooting of Herbert Caniza, records showed.
According to an arrest warrant, Caniza was expecting a friend to visit him but when he opened his front door, he was confronted by a man pointing a gun at him.
The gunman shot Caniza in the chest then ran to a waiting vehicle, the warrant said.
Caniza was hospitalized in critical condition and died from his injury.
At the scene, investigators found a shirt with the “Warner Brothers” logo that said “If you see the police, warn a brother,” the warrant said.
In the home, drugs and money consistent with sales were found, and a witness later told police a man named Nicolas was involved in the crime in order to take the victim’s money and drugs, the warrant said.
Soares’ former roommate also told police on the day of the killing, Soares called him and told him he was planning to rob Caniza, the warrant said.
The roommate also said he was with Soares when Soares bought the “Warner Brothers” shirt, the warrant said.
Another witness who went to buy marijuana from Soares the day of the killing said Soares was “acting paranoid, anxious, and very erratic while pacing back and forth inside the apartment,” the warrant said.
That witness said he confronted Soares, telling him he knew he had gone to see Caniza to restock his marijuana supply and that he heard about the shooting.
Soares told the witness he went to Caniza’s home with another man and waited in the car, then heard gunshots before the other man ran back to the car and told him to drive off, the warrant said.
The witness said he later smoked marijuana with Soares that had been obtained from Caniza, the warrant said.
Soares’ mother told investigators she met with Soares a few days after the murder, and that Soares told her he “had to urgently leave the area because he was in trouble and that his life was in danger,” the warrant said.
They discussed leaving the country and his mother prepared a trip with a travel agency and paid for him to go to Brazil, the warrant said.
Another person said he hadn’t seen Soares since the killing and that last he heard, Soares was living in Africa, the warrant said.
Miami Police officials said they worked with federal agencies to locate Soares in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was arrested before he was extradited back to South Florida.
Moral of the story? You can run, but you cannot hide — especially if you’re not hiding in space.
