HUDSON, Fla. — A man was arrested after the Pasco County Sheriff's Office says he killed a man during an argument relating to drugs.
At around 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, deputies received a call requesting a welfare check for a person believed to be living in a wooded area off of U.S. 19 in Hudson. Nothing was found at first but after continuing to investigate, authorities found the man dead in the woods.
This was when detectives arrested 45-year-old Tyreik Rooks in connection to the death after preliminary information reportedly showed the two, who knew each other, were in an argument leading up to the killing.
According to an affidavit, the incident started on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 5, when Rooks was with the man and another person at a homeless camp behind the Best of Philly Cheesesteak restaurant.
Rooks and the other person reportedly gave the man a total of $19 to get drugs. The man took the money and left the camp for hours before returning without the agreed-upon amount of drugs, the sheriff's office explains.
Deputies say this was when Rooks got upset and hit the man with a machete which caused him to fall to the ground. The affidavit reports Rooks continued to hit the man more times with the weapon before stepping away for a few minutes.
When Rooks and the other person eventually returned to the location where the man was on the ground, they reportedly saw him trying to walk away from the area. This led Rooks to grab a knife and stab the man "several more times," according to the affidavit.
On Sunday, Oct. 9, Rooks reportedly admitted to "intentionally striking the [man] multiple times with a machete, causing his death, and subsequently burying the [man] at his campsite."
Rooks was placed under arrest for first-degree murder and was taken to the Land O' Lakes Detention Center.