PORT ST. LUCIE − Three people have been arrested after the August fatal shooting of a 25-year-old man whose body was found in a state park just off South U.S. 1, according to recently-released records and police.
Jamal Jacques, 25, of Miami, was arrested Wednesday on a first-degree murder charge, while Emanuel Leatherwood, 21, and Vicky Santiesteban, 23, also both of Miami, were booked in at the St. Lucie County Jail Oct. 10, each on a charge of felony accessory after the fact of a capital felony.
The arrests came following the Aug. 8 discovery of Stanford Mompremier’s body at Savannas Preserve State Park - Evans Creek, just south of Southeast Crosstown Parkway.
Leatherwood and Santiesteban drove away from the park, police said, leaving Mompremier and Jacques, the accused shooter, there.
Leatherwood and Santiesteban are accused of not reporting the incident to police and taking a number of steps to get rid of evidence.
Police discovered Mompremier with a gunshot wound to the head after a man identified as Jacques called 911 and reported “someone shot his friend and tried to shoot him but drove off,” court records show.
Jacques, found at the park entrance about a quarter mile from the body, had blood stains on his shorts and an empty firearm holster on his waistband. About 10 feet from Mompremier’s body, investigators found a Glock 9mm pistol that officials learned Jacques bought in 2019 in Miami. Three phones also were recovered.
Jacques told investigators how he arrived in the area with Mompremier and others, but police noted his “story changes consistently, major key points keep being left out or unanswered and he never really gave any clear direct information to assist us in solving the crime.” Police said it looked as if Jacques fatally shot Mompremier, but he denied it. Jacques eventually asked for a lawyer, and was released from questioning.
Police ultimately would develop enough information to get a warrant for the arrest of Jacques, police said. He was apprehended Wednesday in Miami with the help of Miami-Dade Police.
After reviewing surveillance footage from the vicinity of the park, police investigated what appeared to be a silver Dodge Charger that entered the park about 3:01 p.m. and left about 3:07 p.m — about 4 minutes before Jacques called 911.
Using a variety of techniques and devices, including automated license plate readers, police tracked the suspected vehicle before and after the shooting beginning in the Miami area up to St. Lucie County, and further north to Georgia. A license plate of the car is registered to Santiesteban, records show.
The vehicle returned to Florida Aug. 10, and investigators reported finding it Aug. 15, in the Miami area. Santiesteban and her boyfriend, Leatherwood, were near it, reports show.
Police researched Leatherwood’s and Santiesteban’s phones, tracing movements and purchases. They found surveillance footage reportedly showing the two, including footage in Georgia of them wearing gloves and power washing the back seat.
Santiesteban said that on Aug. 8, she, Leatherwood, Mompremier and Jacques began driving. She thought they were going to Orlando. Everyone was “vibing,” smoking marijuana and the music was turned up.
She said they needed gas, and Leatherwood, who was driving, started to exit Florida’s Turnpike in Port St. Lucie. She heard a shot and saw Jacques had a gun. Mompremier had been shot. She said Jacques said something like, “I had to do it, why would he be driving us all the way up here.”
Santiesteban, who said she works in the medical field, said she told Jacques they needed to take Mompremier to the nearest trauma center, but Jacques said no and he wasn’t “going down for this.”
They went to the park where Mompremier’s body was recovered. Santiesteban and Leatherwood drove off, leaving Jacques and Mompremier.
Police interviewed Santiesteban more than once and noted she “had more involvement” than initially disclosed, though it didn’t appear she was involved in the homicide.
“Vicky’s original interview left many details out, important details that a normally prudent person would want to divulge if they were not complicit in cleaning the vehicle and getting rid of evidence,” records state.
Leatherwood, also interviewed more than once, said when the shot went off, Mompremier wasn’t responding. He said Jacques appeared “possessed by a demon or voodoo.”
He recalled Santiesteban buying items and said they tried to clean the car at Walmart, before cleaning the vehicle more in the Palm Bay area.
Leatherwood said Santiesteban tried to convince him to go to the police but he was on probation and was scared to violate it. He said a judge told him if he violated probation again he would serve 32 years in prison.
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Will Greenleeis a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X@OffTheBeatTweetor reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him atwill.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
