Owner of President Supermarkets accused of murder
Manuel Marín founded the President Supermarkets chain in Miami, which over time grew to reach dozens of stores and is considered one of the fastest growing Hispanic supermarket chains throughout the United States. But these days, Marin is also suspected of murder and has been a fugitive from justice for years. The Miami-Dade Police and the State Prosecutor's Office believe that Marín orchestrated the brutal killing of his wife's lover in 2011 and then escaped to Europe, possibly to Spain.
Last week, prosecutors made public the charges against Marín and three other defendants, including Alexis Vila Perdomo, an expert in martial arts who once won a bronze medal representing Cuba. The group is accused of planning the murder of Camilo Salazar, 43, whose body was found on a rural road near the Everglades in northwest Miami-Dade. Salazar was beaten savagely, his throat cut and his groin burned.
Marín, 64, whose responsibility in the company at this time is unknown, is accused of murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap and kill. The same charges include Ariel Gandulla, former MMA fighter, and trainer and promoter Roberto Isaac. It is believed that Gandulla is fugitive and out of the country, while Isaac and Vila have declared themselves innocent.
Vila, who gained notoriety by crashing his car in a terminal at Hollywood-Fort Lauderdale International Airport in 2004, is accused of aiding in the crime and faces charges of conspiracy. Next Monday he will appear before a court at a time when prosecutors try to keep him behind bars while awaiting trial.
His defense attorney, Eric Padrón, said his client was in Las Vegas for an MMA fight on the day of the homicide and has always cooperated with the authorities. "My client wants to prove his innocence in the face of these accusations", Padrón said last Thursday.
A representative of President Supermarkets did not immediately comment on the matter on Thursday. It is unknown if Marin has a lawyer in South Florida to represent him.
At the time he is thought to have fled, shortly after Salazar's assassination in 2011, Marín was "active in the daily operations of his supermarkets and had a significant financial stake in other businesses", according to the arrest warrant. It is not known with certainty how his role in the supermarket chain changed. State records suggest that his children run some of the supermarkets at this time.
Salazar's death was a public mystery when his burned body was found in June 2011. Salazar, who was an entrepreneur, lived in Coconut Grove with his wife and newborn son.
Salazar was last seen alive on June 1, 2011, after he took his three-week-old baby to his wife's office shortly before 10 a.m. He had to return 45 minutes later, but he disappeared and did not respond the calls to his cell phone. That same night, some friends found his Chevrolet Trailblazer where he had parked it, less than a block away from his wife's office.
According to an arrest warrant, detectives quickly discovered that Salazar had an affair with Jenny Marin, a former girlfriend. The woman was married to Manuel Marín, co-founder and vice president of Presidente Supermarkets.
