Miami Beach Murder: 32-Year-Old Arrested In New York City

MIAMI BEACH, FL — A 32-year-old man has been arrested in New York City in connection with the murder of an elderly Miami Beach resident, whose decomposing body was found last week in his South Beach apartment, according to Miami Beach police.

Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Beach Police Department said that Nicholas Brent Gibson is awaiting extradition from New York back to Florida to face charges for the death of 77-year-old Erik B. Stocker.

Police believe Stocker's body had been in his apartment for at least 10 days before neighbors smelled a strong odor and called police on April 30. The apartment is located at the Tribeca Condominiums in the 1500 block of Michigan Avenue.

"Detectives quickly identified a suspect and determined that he was also wanted by the United States Marshals for a probation violation for failure to register as a sex offender," said Rodriguez. "Detectives began to track the suspect’s movement and determined that he had traveled to New York City."

Rodriguez said Miami Beach detectives arrived in New York on Friday to search for Gibson with the assistance of the New York Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.

"Based on the cooperative law enforcement effort, the suspect was located in Manhattan by NYPD transit police officers and taken into custody on Sunday, May 5," said Rodriguez. "He struggled during the arrest and injured at least one officer."

Gibson may also face charges in New York City for assaulting police officers during his arrest and for resisting arrest.

"The MBPD is extremely grateful for the support and assistance provided to us by the U.S. Marshals’ Miami and New York offices and the NYPD’s Intelligence Bureau, Transit Bureau and Detective Bureau," Rodriguez explained. "We are particularly thankful for the effort made by the transit police officers who struggled with this dangerous suspect and took him into custody."