MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Sweetwater man was arrested Wednesday, nearly three decades after he killed a restaurant owner during a botched robbery, authorities said.
According to an arrest report, the victim, Lucio Leon, was ambushed outside his Tuyo Y Mio Restaurant at 7121 NW 35th Ave. on March 2, 1990, by several people who tried to rob him.
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Police said Leon was shot multiple times, but managed to return fire, shooting one of the robbers.
Leon died at the scene before authorities could take him to a hospital.
According to the arrest report, the robbers abandoned their getaway vehicle in the area of Northwest 37th Avenue and 104th Street.
Police said investigators found blood in the rear passenger compartment of the vehicle.
The evidence was submitted to the Miami-Dade Police Crime Laboratory, where the DNA was eventually matched to Alexe Nodal.
Nodal's statement to detectives was redacted from the arrest report.
The now-50-year-old man was arrested on a first-degree murder charge. It's unclear whether detectives are close to making any more arrests.
Leon's restaurant has since closed and a warehouse now sits on the property.