Luciano Mariano Andia, a 72-year-old man of Filipino ethnicity, was found dead in his car in the parking lot of a Dollar Tree in Cary, NC, on May 9, 2015. His death was later ruled a homicide after investigators determined he had sustained injuries that caused his death. Andia was employed at the Dollar Tree store where his body was discovered.
The suspect in Andia's murder, 53-year-old Dwight Anthony Blount, was arrested on May 10, 2015, and charged with murder.
Authorities believe the motive for the crime was robbery, as Blount did not know Andia and there was no apparent personal connection between them. Surveillance video and forensic evidence led investigators to Blount, who has a long criminal record dating back to the early 1980s.
Blount's criminal history includes convictions for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflicting serious injury, as well as second-degree murder. He was released from prison in 2006 after serving time for the second-degree murder conviction. Blount was also convicted of breaking and entering in 2009 and spent about six months in prison for that crime.
The investigation into Andia's death involved the Cary Police Department and the Wake County Assistant District Attorney's office. The case was Cary's first homicide of 2015, with the previous one occurring in August 2014. Andia's family set up a GoFundMe page to help cover expenses and received an outpouring of support from the community.
Andia was remembered by his family as a devoted father and grandfather who loved spending time with his loved ones. He had a PhD in Chemistry and enjoyed reading mystery novels and watching comedy shows. His death left a significant void in the lives of those who knew and loved him.
The case brought some measure of closure to Andia's family, although the loss of their loved one was deeply felt. The efforts of law enforcement and the community in bringing the suspect to justice were appreciated by Andia's family and friends.
