COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — A criminal affidavit released Friday has revealed new details surrounding the murder and shallow burial of a victim in the backyard of a Golden Gate Estates home.
Michael Allen Pritchard, 35, was arrested in December 2021 after a witness told detectives he admitted to shooting a missing man and burying his body next to his house., according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
A search warrant was served at Pritchard’s home on 10th Avenue Northeast in Golden Gate Estates where the body of the missing man was found buried in a shallow grave near his residence, investigators said.
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Monica Petrosian, 42, of Naples was arrested Friday for allegedly helping Pritchard, authorities said.
Court documents show Petrosian and Pritchard were in a relationship at the time of the murder.
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Petrosian told investigators she came to the home on November 22, 2021, and found the victim, identified as Felipe Duran, shot in the head.
Detectives said Pritchard and Duran, described as a physically handicapped man who had previously been reported missing, were roommates. An arrest report states, Pritchard told the witness he shot Duran after he caught him masturbating into Petrosian’s underwear.
According to Petrosian’s account, she arrived at the home after work where Pritchard had shot Duran in the head.
Another man Jeremiah Valdes later arrived at the home where the three allegedly discussed ways to get rid of the body. The trio decided to move the man’s body in a plastic bin to the backyard of the house, court documents show.
She told investigators Pritchard and Valdes dug a hole in the yard to bury the man. Meanwhile, she said she and a married couple Desrielle Besselieu and Ty Newkirk who lived in a trailer on the property worked to clean up the blood in the kitchen area.
In the middle of the night, the group allegedly worked together to bury the man inside a tote in the backyard, Petrosian said.
Investigators said, however, that Petrosian’s story changed multiple times during the interview.
READ THE FULL AFFIDAVIT BELOW:
Besselieu told investigators Pritchard shot the victim through a door. She denied being a part of cleaning up the blood or helping to bury the body.
She said Pritchard held them and the others in the home using a gun and refused to let anyone leave.
Petrosian was caught on security cameras purchasing an identical 7-gallon tote and drain cleaner from a Home Depot on November 24, 2021, investigators said.
Pritchard is facing a second-degree murder charge. The 35-year-old has been held without bond since his December 3 arrest.
Petrosian is facing a charge of accessory after the fact for second-degree murder, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
She is being held on a $100,000 bond. She is expected back in court on April 25.
It is unclear whether the other three will face charges for the crime.
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