Freed murderer charged in Florida with slaying of single mom

3 years ago 226

SUNRISE, Fla. – Police person charged a convicted murderer who was released from situation past twelvemonth with the slaying of a South Florida pistillate whose assemblage was recovered successful a canal aft being missing for 3 weeks.

Eric Pierson, 54, was charged Saturday with first-degree execution for the slaying of Erika Verdecia, 33, hours aft her assemblage was recovered Saturday adjacent Fort Lauderdale. Sunrise constabulary accidental Pierson confessed to stabbing the azygous parent 4 times with a screwdriver connected Sept. 25.

Pierson had been released from situation successful September 2020 aft serving 27 years of a 40-year condemnation for the 1993 beating and strangulation execution of 17-year-old Kristina Whitaker, whose decease helped galvanize a propulsion for longer situation sentences. He had pleaded blameworthy to second-degree murder.

Florida did distant with parole aft the slaying, requiring convicts to service astatine slightest 85% of their sentences. But the alteration could not beryllium applied retroactively and Pierson was inactive eligible, starring to past year's release.

In 1985, Pierson had breached into a location and slit a woman's throat. He served 4 years of an 18-year condemnation for first-degree attempted execution earlier being paroled.

Verdecia's parent told the South Florida SunSentinel she doesn't recognize wherefore Pierson was escaped to onslaught her daughter. Erika Verdecia leaves down a 6-year-old daughter.

“Why is this feline successful the streets? Why?” Carmen Verdecia told the newspaper. “He’s going to wage this time. We’re not going to halt until we spot him successful the electrical chair.”

Verdecia's household had reported her missing Sept. 27, 3 days aft she near location and ne'er returned. Her parent reached retired to her friends connected societal media and 1 said she had seen Verdecia with a “grimy” antheral astatine a sandwich store who told her his sanction was Eric Pierson.

Carmen Verdecia searched his sanction connected the net and was horrified to spot paper stories astir his earlier execution and attack.

“I flipped out,” she said. “I told (police) my girl was seen with a killer. And past they started looking for her. But it was excessively late.”

Sunrise constabulary said successful tribunal documents they had a little enactment with Pierson and Verdecia during a Sept. 25 postulation halt — the time Pierson told detectives helium killed her. She was a rider successful Pierson's motortruck and did not look to beryllium successful distress, constabulary said.

When constabulary contacted Pierson again connected Oct. 4, helium told investigators that Verdecia had walked distant erstwhile helium stopped to get state soon aft the postulation stop. He said helium ne'er saw her again. But surveillance video shows the brace had been astatine the state presumption earlier the postulation stop, constabulary said.

Police accidental they questioned the 6-foot-8 (2 meters) Pierson again connected Friday. They accidental helium fto them hunt his motortruck and they recovered humor inside. His woman aboriginal Friday called constabulary to accidental helium would look astatine the canal down her location and say, “Damn that bitch stinks.” She told constabulary helium had besides said, “If they don’t find a body, they don’t person a case.”

The assemblage was recovered hours later.

An email connection to the Broward County nationalist defender’s bureau seeking remark was not instantly returned Sunday.

Read Entire Article