Man charged with murder after Fort Pierce police find body in car

By James Kirley
TCPalm
Posted March 20, 2011 at 12:09 p.m.


City police detectives investigating the death of a man found dead in a vehicle in front of 1602 Citrus Ave. Saturday morning have charged a suspect living at that home address with premeditated murder.

The victim, whose identity was being withheld pending family notification, had suffered obvious trauma. Officers have not released information on the exact nature of his injuries or the suspected cause of death.

"We're going to wait until the autopsy is completed to determine what killed this man," said Sgt. Dennis McWilliams, spokesman for the Fort Pierce Police Department.

Neighborhood residents called 911 around 9 a.m. to report an abandoned vehicle parked in the roadway. When officers arrived, they discovered the man, dead in the rear seat of the car.

Investigation led detectives to evidence indicating that the crime had taken place in the driveway of 1602 Citrus Ave., McWilliams reported. Gilberto Galvez, 42, a resident of that address, was arrested and is being held without bond at the St. Lucie County jail.

Jail records indicate Galvez is also being held for the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

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