Women in love triangle testify against Miami businessman on trial for murder-for-hire plot
A tearful widow told a jury on Wednesday in Miami-Dade County court about the anguish she felt when her husband Camilo Salazar vanished about 13 years ago.
Daisy Holcombe testified during the second day of the trial of Manuel Marin, a co-founder of Presidente Supermarket who prosecutors accused of a murder-for-hire plot.
“I will see you soon,” Salazar told her the last time she saw him on June 1, 2011, according to Holcombe.
Hours later, firefighters responded to a fire near the Florida Everglades. Salazar’s body showed the killers tortured him, slid his throat, and used gasoline to set his body on fire, according to detectives.
The murder’s motive: Marin believed Salazar, an interior designer who lived in Coconut Grove with Holcombe, had an affair with his wife, according to prosecutors.
Jenny Marin, who was married to Marin at the time, testified about the moment he discovered that she was having an affair with Salazar, which she said lasted about two years.
“He starts to shout and ask questions consecutively,” Jenny Marin said adding the questions included, “‘Who are you here to see? What are you doing? Why are you lying to me? Why are you still seeing this person?’”
Manuel Marin, a then-prominent Cuban-American businessman in Miami, was in Bimini on the day of the murder, which he had hired Roberto Isaac, Alexis Vila Perdomo, and Ariel Gandulla to commit, according to prosecutors. He later surrendered in 2018 at a U.S. embassy in Spain.
In 2019, a jury convicted found Isaac guilty of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder, and Vila Perdomo guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder. A judge sentenced Isaac to life in prison and Vila Perdomo to 15 years in prison.
As part of a plea agreement that included testifying against his accomplices, a judge sentenced Gandulla to 36 months in prison. Prosecutors charged Marin with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder.
After prosecutors filed the case against Marin, Presidente Supermarkets released a statement saying he has “had no involvement whatsoever in the company since 2011.”
Gary Jackson, a retired Miami detective on Salazar’s missing person case, and Jose Quiñon were also among the witnesses Wednesday. The trial is scheduled to continue at 9 a.m., on Thursday.
Watch the 3:30 p.m. report
A tearful widow told a jury on Wednesday in Miami-Dade County court about the anguish she felt when her husband Camilo Salazar vanished about 13 years ago.
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Local10.com archives:
Dec. 3, 2019: Ex-MMA fighter, associate receive max sentences for roles in murder-for-hire plotNov. 6, 2019: Cellphone expert traces revenge murder suspects’ every stepNov. 5, 2019: State’s key witness in Presidente co-founder’s murder-for-hire trial takes standNov. 1, 2019: New details about Camilo Salazar’s burned, mutilated body shared by investigatorsOct. 31, 2019: Cellphone records show alleged killer near dumped bodyOct. 30, 2019: Wife of Presidente Supermarket co-founder describes affairOct. 30, 2019: Widow of victim in murder-for-hire plot testifies in courtNov. 16, 2018: Son of former Presidente Supermarkets owner accused of murder now facing chargesAug. 15, 2018: Accused of murder, Presidente Supermarkets part-owner captured in SpainApril 27, 2018: Presidente Supermarkets part-owner, 3 others charged in murder of wife’s loverRead More
