Third arrest made in murder case of man found shot to death at Savannas Preserve State Park

On October 18, detectives with the Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) announced, that with the assistance of the Miami-Dade Police Department, had arrested 25-year-old Jamal Jacques of Miami for First Degree Murder following the August fatal shooting of a 25-year-old man found deceased at the Savannas Preserve State Park in Port St. Luci.  

Police posted their discovery of the murder victim whose body was discovered at Savannas Preserve State Park back on August 8.

At 3:11pm, PSLPD responded to the Savannas Preserve State Park on US1 after a 911 call of a shooting.

Officers arrived on scene and found an adult male in the roadway deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. A thorough search of the area was completed with assistance from the… pic.twitter.com/xnCN7TERpZ

— Port St. Lucie PD (@PSLPolice) August 8, 2023

In addition to Jacques’s arrest yesterday, 21-year-old Emanuel Leatherwood and 23-year-old Vicky Santiesteban of Miami had already been taken into  custody and charged with  Accessory After the Fact for their involvement in the incident.  They were both arrested last week.

The PSLPD investigation began on August 8 when Jacques, Leatherwood and  Santiesteban – and their victim – were traveling together in a vehicle from Miami to Orlando. According to police, Leatherwood exited in Port St. Lucie to refuel the vehicle, when Jacques shot the victim sitting next to him in the backseat for reasons still unknown at this time.

The trio then drove to the Savannas Preserve State Park where Leatherwood and Santiesteban fled the area in their vehicle, leaving behind Jacques and the 25-year-old victim who was pronounced dead on scene. Jacques then called 911 and originally told police his friend shot the victim, which Detectives later determined to be untrue.

The three suspects were apprehended on arrest warrants obtained by PSLPD Major Crimes Unit Detectives. For more on the story and the three suspects in connection with the Auigust murder of the man whose body was found at Savannas Preserve State Park, see the video accompanying this article.

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(Source and cover photo (mugshots), Port St. Lucie Police Department)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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