Details sought in man’s death

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BY PORTSIA SMITH

Fredericksburg police are looking for two men who they think may have information about the victim in Wednesday’s homicide.

According to Fredericksburg Police Department spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe, police would like to speak to Leonardo Martinez also known as “El Jarocho” and Juan Gonzales.

“They are not suspects,” Bledsoe said. “We’re hoping they can provide us with some information. They may have information that they don’t know is important.”

Both men are in their 50s and are known to reside in “La Montaña,” the name  that people in the Hispanic community use to refer to a homeless camp in the

woods where 43-year-old Armando Escobar’s body was found inside of a tent just after 10 a.m. Wednesday morning. (Montaña is Spanish for mountain.)

That makeshift camp is about a three-minute walk from the end of Roffman Road behind the Central Park Townhomes in Fredericksburg.

There were about six  abandoned mattresses and  tents strewn around Wednesday afternoon, and the  area was littered with trash  and beer bottles.

Police have not released  the manner of death, but have said there was “obvious signs of trauma.”

A  twin-size  mattress left at the scene appeared to have a  fresh bloodstain. No suspects have  been taken into custody,  Bledsoe said.

Police spent much of Thursday talking to people in and around the townhome  community looking for clues.

They spoke to Martinez Wednesday after coming upon him along  one of the trails in the woods, but have been unable to locate him since. He is described only as having a thin moustache.

Gonzales is described as a dark-complected with no facial hair. He frequently wears a white button-up collar shirt and khaki pants, Bledsoe said. He also has ties to the Westmoreland County area, she said.

Escobar was known to live in and  around the Bragg Hill area since 2008, Bledsoe said. Police do not  know how long he had been homeless, but a neighbor said he believes  the man has lived in the woods behind the townhomes for  more than a year.

Bledsoe said he was well-known and well-liked in  the neighborhood, particularly in  the Hispanic community.

“Many tears were shed during the interview process,” Bledsoe said.

Escobar has a wife and two children that live in El Salvador. He also has two brothers—one of them lives in Spotsylvania County, Bledsoe said.

He was a laborer and did odd jobs, such as take out trash and mop the floors at a local store, to get by, Bledsoe said.

She said the homeless people in that particular community are very self-sufficient and wouldn’t necessarily reach out to homeless centers for help.

Bledsoe also said police were  familiar with Escobar, who  had several arrests for nonviolent crimes such as  shoplifting and being drunk  in public.

Bledsoe said anyone with information about this case to contact Detective  Patrick Lamb at 540/654- 5740.

She said Detective Lamb, who is fluent in  Spanish, is concerned only with solving this homicide. The residency status of any individuals who wish to provide information is irrelevant and will not be questioned, she said.

Portsia Smith:  540/374-5419

psmith@fredericksburg.com

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