Davont'e Resiles used belt, knife to kill Davie woman, prosecutor says

DNA evidence used to link suspect to Jill Su's death

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – DNA evidence found on a belt and knife at the home where a Davie woman was discovered dead in a bathtub led police to the 20-year-old man who used the items to kill her, a prosecutor said in court Friday.

Dayont'e Resiles faced a Broward County judge Friday morning, one day after his arrest on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Jill Su.

The 20-year-old suspect listed in court as assistant state attorney Gregg Rossman told Judge John Hurley that police found a knife and cloth belt in Su's home.

"So there's no explanation for the defendant's DNA to be inside a home that he does not live in and has no ties to," Rossman said.

Rossman said DNA evidence found on the belt and knife linked Resiles to the crime. He said there was also evidence of forced entry to the home.

Su, 59, was found Sept. 8 in the bathtub of her home at the gated West Ridge community.

Police said Resiles killed Su during an apparent burglary, unaware that she was at the home.

Although police haven't said how she died, sources told Local 10 News that Su was found in the bathtub with her arms and legs bound and her neck cut.

Su, a relative of the Halliburton oil empire in Texas, was married to Dr. Nan Yao Su, a prominent entomology professor at the University of  Florida's Research and Development Center in Fort Lauderdale.

Records show that Resiles has numerous burglary arrests in South Florida, including two that are pending in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Resiles' family members had little to say to Local 10 News reporter Jeff Weinsier as they left the courthouse, but one man said he knew Resiles was innocent because he wasn't "capable of doing some (expletive) like that."

Another family member told Weinsier off camera that Resiles "may be a burglar, but he is not a murderer."

Resiles was ordered held without bond.

Follow Jeff Weinsier on Twitter @jweinsier

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About the Author:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.