An 18-year-old Florida resident, Moses Ojeda, was apprehended by authorities on Sunday for allegedly murdering his 81-year-old roommate, Patrick Benway. The elderly man was reportedly stabbed over 100 times, with Ojeda justifying his actions to law enforcement by claiming that Benway was “already dying.” Ojeda is facing charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described the incident as a “senseless and tragic act of violence,” praising the efforts of detectives, forensic investigators, and Bartow Police Department officers in apprehending Ojeda and gathering evidence to hold him accountable.
Benway and Ojeda were cohabiting in a group home on Blue Bird Avenue, managed by ET Home Care, LLC, along with three other roommates. Ojeda had only moved into the home a day before the incident, following his release from a local hospital.
During the investigation, Ojeda reportedly told detectives that he had no issues with Benway, whom he described as a “good person.” He admitted to entering Benway’s bedroom and stabbing him multiple times while the elderly man was in bed. According to Ojeda, Benway did not physically resist but questioned why Ojeda would want to harm him before succumbing to his injuries.
Ojeda expressed no remorse for his actions, stating that he wanted to kill Benway because he was “already dying.” After the fatal stabbing, Ojeda cleaned the murder weapon and returned it to the kitchen. He also removed his blood-stained clothes and placed them in his laundry basket.
Sheriff Judd, during a Monday news conference, detailed how Ojeda cleaned the knife and himself in the victim’s bathroom before returning the knife to its original location. The physical evidence collected at the scene corroborated Ojeda’s account of the incident.
Sheriff Judd speculated that Ojeda’s defense attorney might argue that Ojeda was mentally unstable at the time of the murder. However, he asserted that Ojeda’s actions indicated clear criminal intent, malice, and forethought, as well as efforts to conceal the weapon.
The landlord of the home, Adrena Thornton, was visibly distraught when discussing Benway with Spectrum News. She described the incident as if “the devil showed up at the door and rocked everybody’s world and took an innocent man’s life.”