DeLand man a suspect in 1992 killing, woman's disappearance

[1990 UM fan]

via The Daytona Beach News-Journal


A DeLand man is the suspect in the killing of a Lakeland rancher found shot to death in his mobile home 21 years ago, a Polk County sheriff's spokeswoman said.

Investigators in Polk County now believe they have physical evidence that ties Danny Cerezo to the murder of Lakeland rancher Larry Costine and the disappearance of Costine's girlfriend, Melissa Jo Sermons, said Polk County sheriff's spokeswoman Donna Wood on Friday.

"This will help us put the pieces of the puzzle together to put him inside of the house," Wood said.

Wood would not elaborate on the evidence found but said it came up as investigators continue to follow leads called in about the murder.

Cerezo could not be reached for this story.

Costine was 31 when he was found shot to death May 4, 1992. At first investigators looked at Sermons, then 26, as the person of interest and believed she was the only one who could have gotten close enough to Costine to kill him, Polk County investigators said.

But based on new leads checked out, investigators now believe Sermons, 26, has been missing since she was last seen with Costine on May 3, 1992, and believe Cerezo is tied to her disappearance.

"Melissa Jo Sermons has never been found and is believed to have been murdered as well," Wood said in an email.

Cerezo is now 64 years old and was the former boyfriend of Sermons before she started dating Costine, investigators said.

"Sermons and Cerezo, currently a DeLand resident, had been romantically involved and lived together for about a year prior to May 1992," Wood said. "Sermons ended the relationship in April 1992 and moved out of the residence."

Investigators have learned that Cerezo remained friends with Sermons' family and often inquired about her relationships with other men. Witnesses told Polk County sheriff's investigators that Cerezo was known to confront any man he saw speaking to Sermons, Wood said.

"On Saturday, May 2, 1992, Sermons was overheard on the phone with Cerezo," Wood said. "Sermons told Cerezo she didn't want to see him again and that she was now dating Costine."

Two days later, Costine was found shot to death at his ranch home on Moore Road in Lakeland and his girlfriend, Sermons, has been missing since, investigators said.

Polk County investigators have continuously looked at Costine's case after getting leads, Wood said.

The homicide was featured on "Unsolved Mysteries" in November 1993.

The murder was discovered after Polk County investigators received a call from one of Costine's family members who worked with Sermons. When neither Costine nor Sermons arrived for work at their respective job locations, the family member became concerned and went to Costine's home where he found the door unlocked. When deputies arrived at the home May 4, Costine was located dead in a bedroom. He had been shot multiple times in the head and back, investigators said.

Costine and Sermons were last seen the morning of May 3 after attending a rodeo in Dade City, authorities said.

Anyone with additional information on Cerezo and the crime is asked to contact Detective Larry Ashley at 863-298-6200.

[TracyLynnS]

I just wanted to add the link to the article posted above. It's very recent, written yesterday, July 6, 2013.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/ar...-disappearance

[Kane]

I remember one of the authorities mentioning in the segment that Melissa's ex-boyfriend had an alibi for the time of Larry's murder and Melissa's disappearance. If the evidence proves he was involved in the crime, then it will be one of those cases in which the suspect's alibi wasn't as solid as it initially appeared to be. It's common.

[WishfulDreamer]

Originally Posted by Kane

I remember one of the authorities mentioning in the segment that Melissa's ex-boyfriend had an alibi for the time of Larry's murder and Melissa's disappearance. If the evidence proves he was involved in the crime, then it will be one of those cases in which the suspect's alibi wasn't as solid as it initially appeared to be. It's common.

If the informant in another thread about the case is right, his alibi was provided by a family member who lied. I would seriously hope that the police didn't go, ''Welp, his mom said he was there at the time so...'' and that they would need something more than that. But considering there's very little evidence against the ex-boyfriend apart from motive, I guess I can see why they weren't able to lay charges.

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by WishfulDreamer

If the informant in another thread about the case is right, his alibi was provided by a family member who lied. I would seriously hope that the police didn't go, ''Welp, his mom said he was there at the time so...'' and that they would need something more than that. But considering there's very little evidence against the ex-boyfriend apart from motive, I guess I can see why they weren't able to lay charges.

Is that the TheBlackParrot? I remember a post from him/her a while back saying something more or less to the effect that this was all coming to a head. I hope so. It's always been obvious to me Jo was also a murder victim and it's pretty apparent who is probably responsible.

[WishfulDreamer]

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

Is that the TheBlackParrot? I remember a post from him/her a while back saying something more or less to the effect that this was all coming to a head. I hope so. It's always been obvious to me Jo was also a murder victim and it's pretty apparent who is probably responsible.

Yes, I was referring to the TheBlackParrot. I also lean toward that theory and have never believed Jo was responsible for killing Larry. Personally, I thought the ex-wife was just resentful about Larry and that's why she believed that. I always wished LE would look more into the ex considering how he stalked Jo so much and was angry about the breakup.I know they reenact that scenario in the segment and I can't help but think both brothers acting together would make even more sense. That would explain how Jo could be abducted without any sign if there's one person with a gun and another there to overpower her, too.

I have my fingers crossed that we really will hear about a break in the case.

[Apostapler]

Well, this certainly explains our new poster in the other thread.

[Kane]

Originally Posted by WishfulDreamer

If the informant in another thread about the case is right, his alibi was provided by a family member who lied. I would seriously hope that the police didn't go, ''Welp, his mom said he was there at the time so...'' and that they would need something more than that. But considering there's very little evidence against the ex-boyfriend apart from motive, I guess I can see why they weren't able to lay charges.

So can I. The way I see it, the investigators were really at a standstill when it came to his alibi. It was at a point where the alibi could neither be legitimately confirmed nor disproven.

[Steve W.]

I remember The Black Parrot stated in the other thread that after Danny Cerezo killed Larry Costine, he and his accomplice (his brother Joe) took Melissa Jo Sermons, possibly sexually assaulted her, probably shot and killed her too, and then dismembered her body and fed it to pigs on a ranch that the Cerezos owned (? I believe), so without a body could Danny (I believe Joe died in prison not too long ago for an unrelated crime) still be convicted of her murder as well?

[TheBlackParrot]

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

Is that the TheBlackParrot? I remember a post from him/her a while back saying something more or less to the effect that this was all coming to a head. I hope so. It's always been obvious to me Jo was also a murder victim and it's pretty apparent who is probably responsible.

I am so glad you all remembered me. Det. Ashley was very abusive to me the ONLY time we spoke back in 2008 so I have had to go through other avenues to get this case solved. Remeber, Danny didn't act alone, his brother Joe was there too. Unfortunately Joe died back in Nov 2008 and Danny himself suffers from throat cancer.

It was Joe and Danny's mother who provided their alibi. She too is also passed. The main cluses lie with what happened in a bar in Lakeland Fl shortly before the murders. I don't know the name but it has a chain link fence around it and is near the Civic Center. Also, they used their nephews car that night. I gave authoritied (FDLE) the make and model of the car and who it was registered to at the time. VIN #'s never go away and I was hoping they could find it. Perhaps they did and that's where this "physical" evidence came from.

The FDLE and an FBI agent showed up here in my state (not Florida) a week or so ago to interview my husband. He said the Feds had a copy of my book (A Murder in Polk County) which I published as a blog to keep heat on authorities about this case.

Remember, Melissa Jo is buried somewhere in the Green Swamp. It is my hope that someday they will find her body and she can have a Christian burial.

[TheBlackParrot]

Originally Posted by TheBlackParrot

I am so glad you all remembered me. Det. Ashley was very abusive to me the ONLY time we spoke back in 2008 so I have had to go through other avenues to get this case solved. Remeber, Danny didn't act alone, his brother Joe was there too. Unfortunately Joe died back in Nov 2008 and Danny himself suffers from throat cancer.

It was Joe and Danny's mother who provided their alibi. She too is also passed. The main cluses lie with what happened in a bar in Lakeland Fl shortly before the murders. I don't know the name but it has a chain link fence around it and is near the Civic Center. Also, they used their nephews car that night. I gave authoritied (FDLE) the make and model of the car and who it was registered to at the time. VIN #'s never go away and I was hoping they could find it. Perhaps they did and that's where this "physical" evidence came from.

The FDLE and an FBI agent showed up here in my state (not Florida) a week or so ago to interview my husband. He said the Feds had a copy of my book (A Murder in Polk County) which I published as a blog to keep heat on authorities about this case.

Remember, Melissa Jo is buried somewhere in the Green Swamp. It is my hope that someday they will find her body and she can have a Christian burial.

The authorities made SEVERAL mistakes case which Joe Cerezo laughed about when he told my husband this story.
#1 Believing the mother as their alibi sure
#2 They had shoe prints taken at the scene. When they questioned Joe Cerezo he simply told them "that's not my size", They never checked any of his shoes or to see what size he wore.
#3 they had tire track impressions too but when they showed up at the Cerezo home they only compared them to Joe's truck. Not to the nephew's car (which was also in the driveway). It was this nephew's car that they actually used.
#4 The BIGGEST mistake was that Polk County SAO Jerry Hill refused to use my husband's testimnony and let Joe die before he was ever able to lead us to the body. My husband had testified for the state in another high profile murder case in which Nelson Ivan Serrano received 4 death penalty counts. Funny how the SAO belived my husband in the Serrano case but not in this one. Perhaps Serrano isn't guilty of all four murders in his case and the SAO is trying to keep it quiet because they can't prove a case against the real killer. hmmmmmm Watch the papers folks. Things are about to get pretty interesting in Polk County FL.