WASHINGTON – Two Laurel men have been arrested on murder charges for the slaying of their roommate, whose remains were found in two bags Sunday, police say.
Prince George’s County police arrested Santos Leonel Mejia-Yanes, 32, in connection with the crime. He is accused of killing Jacinto Perez, 28, in Laurel.
Mejia-Yanes is charged with first- and second-degree murder and has admitted to being involved with killing his roommate, police say. He was being held without bond.
Perez’s other roommate, Bayron Cruz-Vargas, 34, is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault and other charges. He is on the run and has likely left the area, police say.
Cruz-Vargas and Mejia-Yanes killed Perez after they got into an argument, possibly about money, according to police.
The fight turned violent and police say the two men dismembered Perez and put his remains into two trash bags.
“Those suspect made an obvious attempt at discarding the human remains through various locations of the apartment complex,” says Maj. Cesar Pacheco, commander of the department’s investigative division.
Investigators found those bags in on Enfield Court Sunday morning. The three roommates lived nearby.
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WTOP’s Andrew Mollenbeck contributed to this report from Palmer Park, Maryland. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and on Facebook.