Melquisedec Betancourt, aged 32, was found dead on August 3, 2017, in a car near the Sarasota Airport in Bradenton, Florida. The investigation revealed that Betancourt had been shot three times while sitting in the driver's seat of his vehicle. The suspect, Karrie Lee Sanderson III, was quickly identified and arrested. Sanderson, who was 36 at the time, was an acquaintance of Betancourt. According to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, witnesses provided a description of Sanderson, who was seen fleeing the scene and discarding the weapon used in the shooting. The gun was later recovered, and Sanderson's DNA was found on it.
During the trial, Sanderson initially claimed that Betancourt had been shooting at him, and he acted in self-defense. However, evidence presented in court contradicted this claim. The gun used in the murder was traced back to a member of Sanderson's household, who had purchased it months before the incident. Security footage also captured Sanderson running through the parking lot immediately after the shooting. Despite his initial denials, Sanderson eventually admitted to shooting Betancourt but maintained it was in self-defense.
The case went to trial, and Sanderson was convicted of second-degree murder in April 2022. The prosecution argued that the thorough investigation and swift arrest by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office were crucial in securing the conviction. Assistant State Attorney Rebecca Freel highlighted the Betancourt family's long wait for justice and expressed gratitude to the jury for their careful consideration of the evidence. Sanderson's conviction brought some closure to the family, who had been seeking justice since 2017.
