Florida Man's Crime Spree: Mathew Scott Flores Accused of Murdering Lyft Driver to Evade A Different Homicide Charge

In Florida, a grim and chilling tale unfolds as a man is accused of murdering a Lyft driver and stealing the victim's car in an attempt to evade another homicide charge.

Mathew Scott Flores, aged 36, faced a grand jury indictment in Okeechobee County on Wednesday. He was charged with first-degree murder with a firearm, robbery with a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the alleged killing of Gary Levin, aged 74.

Previously, authorities had pursued Flores for his alleged involvement in the murder of Jose Carlos Martinez, aged 43, in Hardee County, Central Florida, on January 24. Stefanie Velgara, charged as an accessory after the fact, was said to have assisted his escape.

During a press conference on Wednesday, authorities disclosed that Flores embarked on a fugitive journey across central and southeast Florida. He stole multiple vehicles, changed hideouts frequently, and maintained secrecy about his whereabouts from family and friends.

Reportedly, he traveled to Palm Beach County, where he abandoned a stolen vehicle in a driveway, before deciding to return to North Carolina, where he had previously lived.

Tragically, it was during this return journey that he encountered Gary Levin. 

Allegedly, Flores convinced an acquaintance to arrange a Lyft ride for him. Levin, the Lyft driver, responded to the request, picked up Flores, and drove him into Okeechobee County, where the murder occurred. 

The suspect is accused of heartlessly discarding the victim's body in a remote wooded area.

Authorities reported that they finally captured the suspect, driving Levin's red Kia Stinger, at the culmination of a three-county pursuit that ended in Rutherford County, North Carolina. They forced him off the road, resulting in a crash, and subsequently arrested him.

Initially, Flores faced second-degree murder charges in connection with Martinez's death, but a grand jury elevated it to first-degree murder. 

He also faced charges in North Carolina, including felony fleeing to elude arrest and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, but these were dismissed to allow Florida prosecutors to pursue murder allegations.

Special Agent in Charge Eli Lawson described the crime as senseless, calculated, and cold. Gary Levin was a cherished member of the Palm Beach Gardens community, a father, and a friend. The grief experienced by his loved ones is immeasurable.

Authorities appealed for privacy on behalf of Levin's grieving family.

In another news, a former California police officer who turned into a serial killer and had been on death row for the murders of six individuals in the 1980s has passed away due to natural causes, as confirmed by authorities. See detailed story here

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