2 Arrested In St. Pete Man’s Murder

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of two people wanted in connection with a 54-year-old St. Petersburg man’s Aug. 28 murder. Authorities say Jaritza Diaz, 24, and Christopher Robertson, 34, were captured by the Miami-Dade Police Department over the weekend in the Homestead area.

The case against Diaz and Robertson began to unfold around 8:30 a.m. Aug. 28 when deputies were called out to Fabmaster D Machinery at 10597 Oak St. N.E. An employee arrived at the business at that time to open, but couldn’t get in, an email from the sheriff’s office said. The employee was also unable to locate Christopher Dykes, the owner of the business.

Concerned, the employee call 911.

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Deputies who answered the call were also concerned and “forced entry and found evidence of a struggle,” the email said. Dykes was found dead inside the building.

Through the course of investigating the case, detectives identified Diaz and Robertson as suspects, the email said. Diaz worked for Dykes for a short time, the agency noted.

Miami-Dade police tracked the pair down to an inn in Homestead, the sheriff’s office said. On Saturday, Sept. 2, Diaz was brought into custody on an outstanding grand theft auto warrant. Robertson was initially charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. That charge, the sheriff’s office said, stemmed from “an incident that occurred during Diaz’s arrest.”

Following the two arrests, authorities obtained a search warrant for Robertson and Diaz’s hotel room. “Detectives recovered forensic evidence connecting Diaz and Robertson to Dykes’ murder,” the sheriff’s office said.

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Robertson and Diaz were both charged with first-degree murder on Sept. 4. The two were being held at the Turner Guliford Knight Correction Center in Miami-Dade County on Tuesday. They will both be brought back to Pinellas County to face charges, the sheriff’s office said.

No further information is being released at this time.

Booking photos courtesy of the Miami-Dade County Police Department