On a clear autumn day, October 5, 1985, Emelio Briel, a 25-year-old man, drove his father’s gold 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to a remote rock quarry in Miami-Dade County, Florida. He planned to spend the afternoon enjoying one of his favorite pastimes, target shooting with his.22-caliber rifle. Emelio, who worked part-time at a local restaurant, was at a transitional phase in his life. A few years prior, he had been in a whirlwind romance with a woman from Canada, which led to marriage and a move north, but the relationship ended, and he had since returned to the familiar warmth of Miami.
That afternoon at the quarry, as Emelio was setting up cans for target practice, he was ambushed by two men: William Russell Matix and Michael Lee Platt. The men, both U.S. Army veterans with a history of violence, confronted the 5-foot-1-inch Emelio, shot and killed him, and then stole his rifle and his father's Monte Carlo.
They dumped Emelio’s body in a field deep within the Florida Everglades, where it would remain hidden for months. His family, worried when he didn’t return home, promptly filed a missing person report with the police, but since the car was borrowed, it was not reported stolen.
For his killers, Emelio’s murder was the beginning of a brutal crime spree. The stolen Monte Carlo became their primary vehicle for a series of violent armored car and bank robberies that terrorized the Miami area for the next six months. The duo, who became known for their military-style tactics and ruthless aggression, would shoot guards and couriers without hesitation. Witnesses to their robberies often reported seeing the distinctive gold Monte Carlo, but for months, investigators had no idea it was connected to a missing person.
The first major break in the case came not from the car, but from another victim. On March 12, 1986, Matix and Platt attacked another man, Jose Collazo, in a nearly identical scenario at a rock pit. They shot him multiple times and stole his car, leaving him for dead. However, Collazo survived. He was able to provide police with detailed descriptions of his attackers, which led to composite sketches. The investigation now had faces to connect to the string of violent robberies.
Meanwhile, Emelio Briel’s family endured an agonizing wait for any news. Months after his disappearance, FBI agents investigating the robberies traced the gold Monte Carlo to the Briels' address. When agents visited the home, they found a family desperate for information about their missing son, unaware that the car he had borrowed was being used in a violent crime wave. It became clear to investigators that the Briels were victims, their son likely another casualty of the ruthless men they were hunting.
In March 1986, five months after he was killed, Emelio's skeletal remains were discovered in the Everglades. It wasn't until May that they were positively identified, finally confirming his family's worst fears. By then, the reign of terror perpetrated by his killers had come to a dramatic and violent end. On April 11, 1986, a team of FBI agents cornered Matix and Platt, who were driving Collazo's stolen car. The ensuing shootout in the Miami suburb of Pinecrest was one of the most violent in FBI history.
The gun battle lasted only a few minutes but involved over 140 shots. When it was over, FBI Special Agents Benjamin Grogan and Jerry Dove were dead, and five other agents were wounded. Both William Matix and Michael Platt were also killed at the scene. Because the primary suspect in Emelio Briel’s murder was deceased, the case was officially closed, with no trial ever taking place. For Emelio's family, the resolution brought no solace, only the tragic confirmation of a life cut short by a random, senseless act of violence.
