After evading law enforcement for over 15 years, 34-year-old Nicolas Soares, a suspect in a 2010 Miami murder case, has been arrested in Nairobi, Kenya and extradited back to South Florida, facing charges of second-degree murder and armed robbery. As NBC Miami reports, Soares was taken into custody and brought before a Miami-Dade court, where he was denied bond and appointed a public defender.
The case stretches back to September 7, 2010, when victim Herbert Caniza was shot in the chest at his residence. Caniza, reportedly expecting a friend, was instead met with a fatal encounter that led to his hospitalization in critical condition and eventual death due to the injury. Investigators unearthed a "Warner Brothers" t-shirt at the crime scene, a piece of evidence that didn't belong to the victim and was modified to serve as a makeshift mask, according to the arrest warrant.
Further investigation revealed an intricate plot for robbery gone awry. A witness identified Soares as having planned to rob Caniza of drugs and money. This account was corroborated by Soares' former roommate who recalled that Soares intended to rob Caniza on the day of the murder. The same roommate also remembered accompanying Soares to purchase the "Warner Brothers" shirt. Another witness described Soares as "acting paranoid, anxious, and very erratic" on the day of the murder, a behavior that raised suspicion," according to information obtained by NBC Miami.
A break in the case came when Soares' mother, who met with her son a few days post the crime, related that she helped her son flee the country upon his admission of being in imminent danger. The mother and son discussed urgent departure, leading her to arrange travel for Soares to Brazil. Posthaste arrangements were made through a travel agency and funded by Soares' mother, as described in the arrest warrant. News of Soares' presence in Africa came from yet another individual who had lost contact with the suspect following the murder, as detailed in Local10.com's report.
