Man found dead in garbage bin was accused of shooting ex-wife night before, police say
A man found dead in a garbage bin Wednesday had been accused of shooting his ex-wife the night before, according to police.
A Miami-Dade waste management employee found the body in a garbage bin near Southwest 85th Street and 161st Place in West Kendall. The driver of the garbage truck, police say, saw what looked like a body from a camera when operating the mechanical arm that picked up the bin. The driver got out of the truck and notified authorities about the body.
The dead man was identified as 54-year-old Armando Benavides. His cause of death hasn’t been confirmed, though police say evidence strongly suggests it was a suicide.
Benavides was accused of shooting his ex-wife Tuesday night at a home they shared with their two sons, ages 17 and 23, police say. Their sons witnessed the shooting.
An argument between the pair, who divorced several years ago, escalated to gunfire, according to police. Benavides’ ex-wife was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Benavides lived within walking distance of where he was found, police say. According to public records, Benavides’ last known address was about a 25-minute walk from where his body was found.
