A business arrangement concerning a marijuana venture took a fatal turn, leading to the murder of Miguel Soto-Diaz in Baltimore, Maryland. Soto-Diaz had traveled from California to meet with Ziyon Thompson on May 7, 2022, to discuss their joint enterprise. The following day, what should have been a business meeting devolved into a kidnapping and ultimately, a homicide.
On May 8, 2022, Thompson picked up Soto-Diaz from a hotel in Downtown Baltimore and drove him to a house on Furrow
Street. At this location, Thompson held Soto-Diaz captive, binding him to a chair with duct tape and gagging him. Thompson then contacted Soto-Diaz's son in California via FaceTime, revealing the dire situation his father was in. The demand was steep: 200 pounds of marijuana and $50,000 for Soto-Diaz's safe return. A chilling text message followed, warning the son not to involve the police if he wished to see his father again.
Later that evening, the Baltimore Fire Department was dispatched to a fire at the Furrow Street house. Inside the vacant home, firefighters discovered the body of Miguel Soto-Diaz. An investigation revealed that he had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The case drew attention as Soto-Diaz became Baltimore's sixth homicide victim found inside a vacant home that year.
The investigation into the murder led to the arrest of Ziyon Thompson. In June 2025, Thompson, at the age of 21, was sentenced to 22 years and one month in federal prison for his role in aiding and abetting the murder of Miguel Soto-Diaz. This was followed by five years of supervised release. The charges included using a firearm resulting in death during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
