ST. LUCIE COUNTY − A 41-year-old Pompano Beach man was arrested on a murder charge after St. Lucie County sheriff’s investigators reported finding the body of the man’s cousin in a storage area in the sleeping portion of a semi-truck, Sheriff Richard Del Toro said Jan. 20.
Del Toro in a late afternoon briefing provided new details in a case that began about 10:16 p.m. Jan. 15 when deputies responded to a 911 call about a suspicious person in the area of South Rock Road behind the Pilot truck stop, which is on Okeechobee Road just east of Florida’s Turnpike.
Olson Jean is being held in the St. Lucie County jail on first-degree murder with a firearm and other charges following the death of Wendy Moncion, 32, of Coconut Creek, who was identified as Jean’s cousin.
A medical examiner determined Moncion’s cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the back of the head, Del Toro said.
Investigators earlier reported Jean was near a semi-truck that entered a ditch in the area while apparently trying to turn around.
The 911 caller on Jan. 15 reported a man was “observed lying on the ground and rolling around on the west side of the roadway behaving erratically.”
Investigators found a person matching the description walking south on South Rock Road toward Okeechobee Road.
“During our initial contact, a deputy advised him they had received a call reporting that he had been lying on the ground, and he basically just stated he was taking a breather,” Del Toro said. “When asked where he was coming from, he claimed he was just jogging around gesturing north in a circular motion, and when asked where he lived, he pointed behind himself and said, ’On the other side.’”
Jean denied being connected with the semi-truck. He said he drove a Waste Management tractor, and left on foot.
“We had no reason to really detain him at that point,” Del Toro said.
Deputies then changed focus to the semi-truck. They found what appeared to be blood on the outside of the cab and a “significant amount” on the interior.
Investigators ultimately linked Jean to the semi-truck, and found him at the Pilot truck stop.
A rifle and a handgun were found in the area.
When deputies executed a search warrant on the Freightliner tractor, they reported finding Moncion’s body in a storage compartment beneath the bed area in the back.
“Our investigators later learned that Mr. Moncion had been traveling from Georgia to Florida with Mr. Jean, as Jean reportedly expressed safety concerns to family members about sleeping in his truck during stops along the route to Florida,” Del Toro said.
Del Toro said investigators believe Moncion went to Georgia intending to accompany Jean back here to keep him company.
“For whatever reason, he decided to kill our victim,” Del Toro said.
Moncion last had contact with his family about 6:40 p.m. Jan. 15, just hours before the sheriff’s response to the 911 call.
Del Toro said the motive remains under investigation, and additional investigative work needs to be done.
“Our suspect was afraid, basically, according to the wife, basically has been kind of paranoid lately, acting kind of erratically,” Del Toro said. “She expressed the fact that when he returned … they were going to … maybe get some mental health treatment for him.”
Those with information regarding the incident are asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 772-462-7300 or via email at CrimeTips@stluciesheriff.gov.
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida homicide victim reportedly found in semi-truck, shot in head
Reporting by Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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