Michael Jones Murder: Suspect Orlando Orea says 'sorry' in note before fleeing to Mexico, NYPD says
(CBS) NEW YORK - The murder suspect in the stabbing death of New York youth soccer coach Michael Jones left a handwritten note saying he was "sorry" before fleeing to Mexico, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said Thursday.
CBS New York reports that Orlando Orea wrote the note to his brother, saying, "I love you. I hope you can forgive me. I'm sorry."
Kelly said that although the note contains a statement of apology, he wouldn't call it a confession. The note was discovered in Orea's Ridgewood apartment in Queens while police are working to locate him.
"We know the village that he's from in Mexico, so hopefully we'll be able to have the Mexican authorities locate him and take him into custody," Kelly said. "We are in contact with the state department, with the legal attaché in Mexico, with Interpol. We will most likely be sending personnel there shortly."
Police said the 25-year-old Jones was found in a pool of blood around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. One of his ears was reportedly cut off. Jones was pronounced dead on arrival at Bellevue Hospital.
Orea, 32, was reportedly in a bar fight earlier that night, but Jones was not part of the argument. The fatal slashing was likely a case of mistaken identity, police said.
Authorities said Orea, also known by the aliases Orlando Gutierrez or Orlando Estevas, bought a one-way ticket to Mexico City just moments before the flight it was scheduled to leave from John F. Kennedy Airport on Tuesday morning.
The NYPD is working with Queens District Attorney Richard Brown to indict Orea, which will be necessary in order to extradite the suspect to the U.S. if he's located in Mexico.
Jones was a native of Liverpool, England and a coach with the New York Red Bulls Youth Training Program. He lived in West Harrison, in Westchester County.
The New York Red Bulls, a Major League Soccer team, held a memorial for Jones on Wednesday in Westchester County.