In September 2017, the family of 19-year-old Wilson Perez grew worried when he did not return home. Their search ended in the grim discovery of his body in Harlow Park in Oklahoma City. The young man had been brutally killed, his body showing signs of a violent struggle, including bruises on his face and around his neck. For years, the case remained cold, leaving his family with unanswered questions and the constant pain of not knowing who was responsible for his death.
A significant
breakthrough in the nearly five-year-long investigation came in the form of a letter to investigators from a person claiming to be a mutual friend of Perez and his killer. The letter detailed a confession from a man named Brian Troje, who admitted to the murder. According to the letter and subsequent court documents, Troje and Perez were involved with the same girl, which led to the fatal confrontation. About a week before the murder, Troje had allegedly told the friend of his intention to kill Perez.
The investigation revealed a chilling plot where a woman, Stacy Juarez, allegedly lured Perez to Harlow Park by flirting with him on Facebook. Once Perez was at the park, Troje ambushed him. Court documents describe a brutal attack in which Troje beat and strangled Perez, and at one point, used a shovel to strike him in the head. Juarez reportedly assisted in the murder by covering Perez's mouth. After he was dead, she allegedly took his phone and wallet from his pockets. For her part in the crime, Troje reportedly paid her about two hundred dollars.
Following the new leads, an arrest warrant was issued for Brian Troje, and he was charged with first-degree murder. Stacy Juarez was also arrested in Jasper County, Missouri, and faced the same charge. The arrests brought a sense of closure to Perez's family, who had spent years agonizing over his death. His aunt expressed immense gratitude for the person who came forward with the information that ultimately led to the arrests, finally bringing accountability for her nephew's murder.
