BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — Fox 4 spoke to neighbors after an arrest was finally made in a Bonita Springs murder, nearly three years after a 34-year-old woman was burned inside of her home.
The second of two suspects, 19-year-old Raymond Gomez, was arrested in Lubbock, Texas Friday afternoon.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a house fire on Squire Lane in Bonita Springs on October 29th, 2017, and that's where they say they found the body of Sarah Nicholson.
“She was just a young girl and its a shame that it ended that way. The way she was murdered it was horrible, ” said next-door neighbor, John Connolly.
Investigators say 22-year-old Cristian Dilan and 19-year old Raymond Gomez entered the home with the intent to rob Nicholson.
Sheriffs believe they battered the woman, stole her vehicle, and set the home on fire to hide the evidence.
“It was just a mess for a long time, and every time you went by that’s all you thought about, ” said neighbor, Cathy Giampa.
Dilan was arrested in June 2018, and is currently in a Lee County Jail on multiple charges including armed burglary and accessory to 2nd-degree murder.
A former police chief and private investigator Walt Zalisko says this arrest was likely a huge lead in finding the other suspect.
“Whenever you have more than one person committing a crime, the other person is always going to talk,” said Zalisko.
Raymond Gomez was arrested on a 2nd-degree murder charge and transported to a Lubbock County Texas Detention Center.
“It was good to see they finally got the guy, ”said neighbor, John Connolly.
“I was glad that he was finally caught, and that he’s going to be brought to justice. He should get the punishment he deserves, he took a life,” said neighbor, Cathy Giampa.
Gomez was only 17-years old at the time of the crime.
Zalisko says the outcome of this case is largely going to depend on whether the state attorney decides to try him as a juvenile or an adult
“There are a lot of factors that come into play; does he have a past criminal record? Does he have a history of being violent? Does he have an extensive criminal record? Is there any chance of rehabilitating this individual?, ” said Walt Zalisko.
