Authorities in Florida have arrested two men after they allegedly murdered a man they had been stealing money from.
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According to a press release by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, police received a report of a missing person, Joseph Romano, 71, on January 16. Romano was last seen at his apartment complex in Riverview, Florida, and nobody had heard from him since January 3, per a missing person's report.
The Sheriff's Office explains that detectives discovered Joseph Schiliro, 45, was trying to retrieve mail from Romano's residence. They also revealed an 'ongoing financial fraud' scheme. Large sums of money were reportedly leaving Romano's accounts and ending up in several fraudulent ones linked to Schiliro. The report also explains that another man, Silviano Christman, 31, flew in from New York and was with Schiliro at the time.
Police obtained a search warrant for Schiliro's house on February 13, where they found dismembered remains in the backyard. Those remains were identified as Romano's. Authorities arrested Christman and Schiliro on February 20 and 21, respectively, for a list of offenses. Both men face charges of Pre-Meditated First-Degree Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Pre-Meditated First-Degree Murder. Schiliro also faces a Money Laundering charge, Fraudulent Use of Personally identifiable information of a Deceased Person, and Exploitation of a Disabled Adult.
Sheriff Chad Chronister described the suspect's actions as "despicable and deeply disturbing." He added, "Through deceit and violence, they exploited and took the life of another individual."
The Three Men Knew Each Other Prior To The Murder
Per a report by Fox 13, neighbors said "questions had been swirling for days, and they now feel a sense of closure." The outlet also explains that while the relationship between the three men is unknown, they all knew each other.
In an interview, Caitlin Wilson of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said, "Any time you have two suspects who prey on an elderly member of our community, it's truly horrific. And just the brutality of what happened to this individual, it's truly heartbreaking."
Per the New York Post, authorities are holding Christman in Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward, with a hearing at Queens Criminal Court on March 20. Police are holding Schiliro in Pinellas County Jail, and an investigation is ongoing.
