Two men and a 14-year-old boy are arrested in connection with the death of a man whose body was found in a burning car in Miami Beach.
The body of Cordell Cooper was found Aug. 11 in the back seat of a burning vehicle at 973 Bay Dr., Miami Beach police said. The body was so badly burned that DNA was used to identify it.
An autopsy showed that Cooper was beaten, stabbed and strangled before being set on fire, police said.
After identifying Cooper, detectives spoke to an informant who led them to suspects Martin Gallegos, 20, and a 14-year-old boy. Gallegos was in the Miami-Dade County Jail on a probation violation.
Miami Beach police said Gallegos admitted to his involvement and told investigators that Cooper had been the target of a robbery and carjacking. Police said Gallegos and the teen decided to kill Cooper so he couldn't identify them.
Police said the pair killed Cooper and left him in the vehicle. But an acquaintance, Ellis McDaniel, 21, told Gallegos he should burn the body to keep it from being identified, drove him to a gas station and gave him a gas container, which Gallegos used to torch the body and the vehicle, Miami Beach police said.
Gallegos and the 14-year0old boy each face charges of first-degree murder. McDaniel is charged with accessory after the fact to murder.