A Connecticut man has been charged with killing his nephew — whose body was found by kayakers in a lake with his own belt tied around his neck, police said.
David Diaz-Perez, 21, on Monday admitted to killing 17-year-old Nolvin Diaz, but claimed the teen attacked him first with a piece of wood after asking to meet him at Community Lake on April 23, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Record-Journal.
Diaz-Perez told investigators he grabbed his own weapon — a piece of wood — and hit Diaz until he stopped moving. Diaz-Perez, of Wallingford, then went home before later returning to the lake on May 2, police announced Tuesday.
At that point, Diaz-Perez used an extension cord and a garbage bag to drag his nephew’s body into the water after weighing it down with dirt, the arrest warrant states. The teen’s own belt was also tied around his neck, police said.
Kayakers found Diaz partially submerged the following day, police said.
An autopsy found Diaz’s death to be a homicide caused by blunt force injuries to the head and face, as well as strangulation, the newspaper reports.
Diaz-Perez and his nephew lived together in Wallingford with the teen’s aunt and another person. The 17-year-old was reported missing by his aunt on April 25, police said.
“Although we are pleased with making an arrest in this case, we certainly feel sorrow for the family, for not just the loss of Nolvin, but the arrest of another family member,” Wallingford police Lt. Cheryl Bradley told reporters Tuesday.
Diaz-Perez initially denied any involvement in his nephew’s death. Relatives told police during interviews Monday that Diaz-Perez had previously asked his nephew how he wanted to die, the Record-Journal reports.
The motive in the slaying remains unclear, police said. Diaz-Perez, who was jailed on $2 million bond, is expected to appear in New Haven Superior Court Wednesday.