On Friday, January 4th at 11:45 p.m., Rafael Rodriguez was shot and killed during an armed robbery at Josephine’s Restaurant, 5751 North Federal Highway. During the robbery, various items were taken, including wallets, phones, cash, and jewelry. In particular, a Chopard watch was stolen from one of the victims.
Boca Raton detectives tracked down the person who bought the watch, interviewed him and recovered the watch. The sale of the watch was captured on a store’s surveillance video. Detectives reviewed the video and determined the subjects who sold the watch matched the homicide suspects.
Detectives obtained phone records for two of the subjects who sold the watch, Adalberto Montalvo and Quinton Sylvestre. An analysis of their phone records showed they were exchanging calls the night before and the night of the homicide, with a phone belonging to Samuel Walker. Detectives determined all three phones were in Boca Raton,
in the area of Josephine’s during the time of the robbery. Walker was identified as the third person present when the watch was sold.
In January, the suspects traveled to Boca Raton to commit burglaries. Members of the Tactical Team, Road Patrol, and detectives located Walker, Montalvo, and Sylvestre and arrested them for burglary and grand theft (click for the related release).
Search warrants were executed on homes associated with Walker, Sylvestre, and Montalvo. A backpack, containing three firearms and a hockey mask, and shoes were seized. Several of these items were consistent with items seen on surveillance video. Shoe prints found at the scene matched the soles of one of the pairs of shoes detectives seized.
Detectives spoke with the three suspects after their arrest for burglary. Montalvo and Sylvestre refused to speak with them. Walker admitted to being with Montalo, Sylvestre and his father, Samuel Walker, Sr., but denied any involvement in the homicide. Walker, Sr. also denied any involvement in the homicide.
Detectives received confirmation from PBSO’s firearms lab that one of the guns recovered fired the bullet that killed Rafael Rodriguez. Walker’s DNA was found on and around the trigger of the gun. Walker’s DNA was also found on the Chopard watch.
On March 21, detectives received results from swabs taken from inside the hockey mask. The DNA evidence connected Quinton Sylvestre to the mask.
Blood evidence was identified on the shoes seized from Montalvo. This blood was linked to the victim, Rafael Rodriguez, through DNA analysis.
Boca Raton detectives charged Samuel Walker, Jr., Adalberto Montalvo, and Quinton Sylvestre, with first degree murder and robbery with a firearm. The investigation is on-going and detectives are still seeking the identity of the fourth suspect.
Captions (Left to Right): Quinton Sylvestre, Adalberto Montalvo, Samuel Walker Jr.
