Man Accused Of Killing Missing Woman Denied Bond
DORAL (CBSMiami) -- A judge has denied bond for a man charged with the murder of a woman who has been missing for more than a year, and whose body has never been found.
John Paul Garcia, 45, was arrested on Thursday afternoon on a charge of first degree murder.
Police said he had a romantic relationship with 44-year old Larissa Macriello who he is accused of killing.
According to his arrest warrant, a missing person report was filed on June 18, 2013, by the victim's brother Roderick Mokillo who said he hadn't seen or heard from Macriello since June 3, 2013.
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Her brother told police it was unusual behavior for his sister.
The report states Mokillo told authorities he had been able to get some suspicious information regarding Macriello's bank account.
"On June 5, 2013, there was an online transfer in the amount of $20,000 from the victim's savings account to her checking account. On that same date, there was a check written in the amount of $20,000 from the victim's checking account to the defendant," the report states.
Five days later, a second check of $20,000 was written from Macriello's checking account to Garcia, according to the report.
It goes on to say, on June 12th surveillance cameras captured Garcia using the victim's ATM card to make a $500 withdrawal from Macriello's bank account.
Eventually, Macriello's account was depleted of about $40,000.
Extensive cell phone tower records showed Macriello's phone near Garcia's phone in the days after her disappearance, but never any sign of her, detectives said.
Macriello's landlord told police she last saw her June 3rd, 2013. She noticed Macriello's car was not in the driveway and it didn't return until two weeks later, washed and detailed.
On Thursday, Garcia "voluntarily responded to the homicide bureau and gave several conflicting statements that were disproven by evidence discovered throughout the investigation."
During his bond court hearing Friday morning, prosecutors argued the circumstantial case still provided enough probable cause to keep Garcia behind bars until his trial.
Scott Saul, Garcia's attorney, countered by pointing out police still haven't found a body.
"There is no proof first of all that she is deceased, and there's certainly no indication there of how she died or that he committed any violent offense."
Even though, Macriello's body has not been found she is feared to be dead and police said it's not uncommon to charge someone with murder and even successfully prosecute people without a body.
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