Man on bike trip to propose marriage is fatally stabbed
VERO BEACH, Fla. - Police have made an arrest in the case of a man who was fatally stabbed while on a bike trip from Maryland to Miami, reports CBS Miami.
Witnesses said 28-year-old Kevin Adorno, of Hartford, Conn., was on the phone with his girlfriend Monday night when he was stabbed outside a McDonald's in Vero Beach, Fla., about 140 miles north of Miami, according to the station. Police arrested 59-year-old Rene Herrera Cruz and charged him with first-degree murder.
The station reports Adorno was nearing the end of a "bucket list" bicycle trip in which he planned propose to his girlfriend when he arrived in Miami. The victim suffered serious stab wounds to his chest and arms. He was taken to Indian River Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead a short time after the incident.
Police said the suspect told them he believed Adorno was using a cellphone to tell other people to attack him. Cruz had called police a day earlier, claiming people were threatening him. According to authorities, Cruz has a record of various assault and drug charges and is believed to be homeless.
CBS Miami reports officers spoke with the victim's girlfriend, who said she did not hear Adorno get into any argument before he was attacked. The arrest affidavit states the last thing the woman said she heard was the phone drop.
Police said officers found an engagement ring on the victim that Adorno wanted to give his girlfriend when the trip ended.
The arrest affidavit states Cruz told authorities he had spent a lot of time at the McDonald's after relocating to Vero Beach from Miami. He said he was concerned that people in the restaurant were watching him. Cruz said he took the knife from his waistband when he saw the victim approaching and stabbed him when he tried to run.
After the attack, the suspect went to a Burger King across the street and threw the knife and his shirt in the garbage, according to the affidavit.
Information about when Cruz is due in court has not been released.