Davie Man Pleads Not Guilty In Body Parts Murder Case
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) – A Davie man accused in a gruesome case where human remains were found in three different South Florida cities has pled not guilty.
The written plea was entered into court Wednesday morning on behalf of suspect Jamie Saffran. Saffran, 51, is being held without bond, charged with premeditated murder.
According to his arrest affidavit, Saffran allegedly used a sledgehammer and backyard cutting tools to kill and dismember acquaintance Warren Danzig, then used the victim's credit card to buy tires for his red Jeep and pay $719 toward his daughter's tuition at Florida Atlantic University.
The case began Nov. 6 when a concrete box which contained human legs and arms covered in concrete was discovered in Fort Lauderdale. On November 14, an auto store employee found a human head in a bucket along with a human hand, also covered in concrete, in a bucket along a Dania Beach canal. On November 26, two fishermen found a human torso in a container near a canal in Northwest Miami-Dade. DNA and fingerprints confirmed that the body parts all belonged to the same person identified as Danzig.
During a search at Saffran's home, authorities discovered a shovel covered with concrete and a sledgehammer "that presumptively tested for human blood," the arrest affidavit said. They also found two bags of cement and several sharp tools, according to the affidavit. The report also states police found blue rope similar in size and appearance as the rope recovered from the head and hand on November 14th in Dania Beach.
Investigators said Saffran and Danzig were acquainted; Danzig's driver's license had Saffran's address on it. Saffran told investigators that he and Danzig were friends for many years. Saffran said Danzig lived in the Dominican Republic and used his address as his U.S. mailing address.
According to the arrest report, a plane ticket for a return flight to the Dominican Republic was found with the remains. Investigators say the ticket was canceled via phone and the number was traced to a cell phone found in Saffran's house.
Police have not released a motive for the killing.