ORLANDO, Fla. — Detectives questioning a man accused of carjacking say he abruptly confessed to killing somebody a week prior.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office was dispatched around 10 a.m. Sunday to a 911 call about an armed carjacking near the intersection of Texas Avenue and Americana Boulevard. Deputies say they learned the carjacker had slashed the driver with a box cutter before taking the car.
The driver was rushed to the hospital and is expected to survive. The suspected carjacker was arrested nearby and identified by authorities as 33-year-old Alexander Acs.
Robbery detectives began interviewing Acs at sheriff's office headquarters.
"During that interview, Acs confessed to the carjacking, and told detectives that he had also killed someone prior to the carjacking incident," the sheriff's office wrote in an email.
Investigators say Acs then directed them to an address on South Rio Grande Avenue, where they found a body.
"Acs told detectives the murder occurred last week," the sheriff's office explained. "Because of the time that had passed, the victim in this case has not yet been positively identified."
Early Monday morning, Acs was moved to the Orange County Jail, where he was booked on a first-degree premediated murder charge. Detectives have since filed additional charges for attempted murder and robbery/carjacking.
But, how did all this reportedly happen? Detectives do not have all the answers, but an arrest affidavit sheds some light on what may have led up to the homicide and carjacking.
According to the affidavit, Acs traveled to Orlando on Jan. 7. He was trying to find an ex-girlfriend who'd pressed charges against him in Hillsborough County – which had led to a warrant for his arrest.
"Alexander's goal in coming to Orlando was to locate the ex-girlfriend, and 'take everything from her' then flee the country," the affidavit said. "However, in order to 'take everything from her' Alexander first needed to locate her, so Alexander began to conduct surveillance on a male that he knew was friends with his ex-girlfriend believing that this male would lead him to the ex-girlfriend."
While Acs was in the Orlando area, investigators say an Uber driver put him in contact with a guy who might be able to help with his situation. Acs ended up staying with the guy and buying drugs from him, the affidavit said.
But, at some point, things soured. Acs felt that guy was disrespectful to him, according to the affidavit. So, detectives say Acs hatched a plan to kill him.
Acs is accused of smashing the man in the head with a piece of asphalt, then tying him up with a phone charging cable and stuffing a sock in his mouth to muffle any screams for help. The affidavit said Acs struck him two more times with the asphalt.
He then dragged the body into a bedroom and doused the house in lighter fluid to try to cover the smell, according to law enforcement. Acs crushed the man's phone and tried to flush it down a toilet, the affidavit said.
This past Sunday – before the carjacking and his arrest – detectives say Acs had resumed his plan to find his ex-girlfriend. As part of that effort, authorities say he called a male friend who he believed could still help him find the woman. They're still working to investigate the case and piece everything together, but it was during that series of events that detectives believe Acs carried out the carjacking.
"Towards the conclusion of the interview, Alexander declared that he intends to plead guilty to the murder and hopes to receive the death penalty," according to the affidavit. "Alexander said that if he does not get the death penalty then he would kill a corrections officer in hopes that gets him the death penalty."
