Florida Lyft driver killed: Waucuhla man indicted for first-degree murder
WAUCHULA, Fla. - A Wauchula man who had previously been indicted for a Hardee County murder has been formally charged in the shooting death of a Palm Beach Lyft driver.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, while agents were investigating the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of 43-year-old Jose Carlos Martinez in Wauchula, they found suspected killer 36-year-old Mathew Scott Flores in North Carolina driving a vehicle that belonged to a 74-year-old Lyft driver who had been reported missing out of South Florida.
During the investigation, special agents with the Fort Myers Regional Operations Center connected Flores to a vehicle stolen out of Orange County and found in Lake Worth.
Authorities say while in Lake Worth, Flores ordered a Lyft ride to go to Okeechobee and Gary Levin, of Palm Beach Gardens, responded to the request and picked Flores up.
Pictured: Gary Levin courtesy of Palm Beach Gardens Police Department.
Officials say Levin was reported missing after he became ‘unreachable’ on Jan. 30.
According to authorities, Levin’s red 2022 Kia Stinger was spotted in Miami, Okeechobee, and Gainesville after his disappearance.
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The vehicle was stopped Feb. 2 in North Carolina, where a U.S. Marshals regional task force asked authorities to be on the lookout. Flores, who was driving the car, was arrested following a police chase through three counties, officials said, before it crashed.
Side by side images show Matthew Flores being placed in the back of a deputy's car in North Carolina (left) and his booking image (right).
Stephanie Velgara, an alleged accomplice in Martinez's death, was also taken into custody. Wauchula police had previously said there may also be more suspects involved in the Martinez murder.
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On February 4, 2023, FDLE agents found Mr. Levin’s body in a wooded lot in Okeechobee County.
Pictured: Gary Levin.
"Mr. Levin's body had been cruelly dumped in a wooded area. His murder was cold. It was senseless and completely unnecessary," stated Eli Lawson with FDLE during a news conference on Wednesday. "Mr. Levin was a beloved member of the community here in Palm Beach. He’s a father and a friend. His loved ones have experience insurmountable grief. No one should ever have to go through that."
An Okeechobee grand jury indicted Flores on charges of first-degree premeditated murder with a firearm, robbery with a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.