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Polk Man Facing First-Degree Murder Charge

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TBO Staff

Published: January 11, 2009

Nestor Lopez

Detectives in Polk County have arrested one man and are questioning another in the death of a 28-year-old man found floating in a phosphate pit on Friday.

Nestor Lopez, 35, was arrested about 12:30 a.m. today and charged with killing Pedro Arneas, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said. Detectives are also questioning Acencion Lopez Martinez, 32, whose last known address was in Wimauma.

Lopez, of Wahneta, was charged with first degree murder and armed kidnapping. Martinez, also known as Acencion Lopez, is expected to face the same charges later today, the sheriff's office said.

The killing stemmed from a New Year's Eve burglary of Nestor Lopez's home that the two men believed Arenas committed, the sheriff's office said.

The two men lured Arenas into a truck about 3 p.m. Jan. 3. Arenas gave his cell phone to his family and said he was going to fix a door at a bar in Wahneta. That was the last time family members saw Arenas, the sheriff's office said.

A helicopter pilot checking Tampa Electric Co. power lines found the body in a water-filled pit off Pebbledale Road southeast of Mulberry about 1 p.m. Friday, three days after family members reported him missing.

The sheriff's office said Nestor Lopez, who was the victim's supervisor at Applied Aquatics, was angry about the burglary. The two men drove Arenas to the site of the pond when they began to argue and the argument became violent.

Arenas had been slashed in the face several times, the sheriff's office said.

The victim started to run into the pond and Nestor Lopez told investigators he pulled a gun and fired several shots at Arenas, the sheriff's office said. Arenas disappeared under the water.

An autopsy will be performed later today to determine the cause of death.

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