Bruce Salituri, a 59-year-old man, was shot and killed in his Fort Lauderdale, Florida, home on September 12, 2019. The attack, which took place in a quiet waterfront neighborhood, also left his roommate grievously wounded. What police initially believed was a murder-suicide attempt would soon be revealed as a planned and brutal home invasion.
The killer, Michael Robert Schnitzerling, arrived at the home posing as a utility worker for a company called Florida Drilling, claiming the house
was using too much voltage. Once inside, he ordered Salituri to open a safe before shooting him to death in his master closet. Schnitzerling then turned his attention to Salituri’s housemate, DeWayne Williams. "You people pissed somebody off," the gunman told Williams, "And you've seen my face." He shot Williams in the face and neck with a semi-automatic handgun equipped with a silencer. When the gun jammed, he stabbed Williams twice.
Despite his severe injuries, Williams managed to escape to a neighbor’s house for help. The initial emergency call triggered a massive police response, including a SWAT team that surrounded the home for hours under the mistaken impression that Salituri was a barricaded subject who had harmed his roommate. When officers finally entered the residence, they found Salituri’s body. The killer had fled, but he left behind crucial evidence, including the handgun used in the attack, which was registered in Schnitzerling’s name.
Using the evidence from the scene, investigators identified Schnitzerling, then 29, as their suspect. A U.S. Marshals task force apprehended him three weeks later in Delray Beach. He was charged with murder, attempted murder, and armed home invasion robbery. From the beginning, detectives believed the killing was a "hit" and that Schnitzerling had been sent to Salituri’s home by someone else. Partially sealed documents showed he had been in contact with at least two other people in the hours surrounding the murder.
At his trial in the summer of 2025, Schnitzerling’s defense attorney argued that his client was a “perfect fall guy” who had been framed, suggesting the evidence was too obvious to be credible. Prosecutors countered that the gun, a work shirt, a car, and cell phone records all pointed to Schnitzerling because he was the one who committed the crime. Though Williams, the surviving victim, was unable to positively identify his attacker in court, the physical evidence was compelling.
In August 2025, a Broward County jury found Michael Robert Schnitzerling guilty of the first-degree murder of Bruce Salituri and the attempted murder of DeWayne Williams. The jury then weighed whether to recommend the death penalty. In October 2025, they rejected execution, and Schnitzerling received the mandatory sentence for his crimes: life in prison. While a clear motive for the killing was never established at trial, the case against the gunman was closed.
