Police: S.I. Man Arrested For Murder Of Woman Whose Remains Were Found In Park
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Police have announced the arrest of a man in connection with the murder of a Staten Island woman whose remains were found in a park last week.
According to police, Pedro Martin, 27, of Staten Island was arrested Saturday night on a second degree murder charge in the death of Megan Marotte.
As 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported, Marotte and Martin met once. That meeting reportedly ended in a confrontation, possibly over money, Schuck reported.
Police: S.I. Man Arrested For Murder Of Woman Whose Remains Were Found In Park
The Daily News reports Martin allegedly agreed to pay her to have sex with him and then strangled the Graniteville woman after the two fought over money.
The 20-year-old woman was last seen on August 4. Her body was discovered by two women walking in Willowbrook Park near Victory Boulevard and Morani Street on August 16.
The women called 911 after they smelled a strong foul odor. It took investigators an hour to locate the remains in a wooded area.
As WCBS 880's Monica Miller reported, a makeshift memorial has sprung up in Willowbrook Park near where Marotte's body was discovered last week.
Marotte, who was pregnant, lived about a half a mile away from the park where her body was discovered.
The troubled woman was arrested last month after crashing her car into a local 9/11 memorial and has struggled with drug addiction, Miller reported. Her family only recently learned that Marotte was pregnant.
Neighbors said they were shocked when Marotte's body was found in the park.
"Always mannerly, wonderful. Always gave you the time of day and respect," a woman told 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck. "This, to me, is devastating how she was left like a piece of trash."
Police: S.I. Man Arrested For Murder Of Woman Whose Remains Were Found In Park
According to police, there were no obvious signs of trauma on the woman's body.
The medical examiner's office is working to determine cause of death.
A police officer was seen outside Martin's Staten Island apartment building on Sunday. He was due to be arraigned later Sunday or Monday, according to authorities.
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