The Connecticut man who was found dead in a Super 8 Motel in Stamford was bound with duct tape and executed, authorities said Monday.
Angel Samaniego, 59, was discovered dead in the budget hotel on Oct. 14. He had also been robbed of several belongings.
Two days later, Moises Alejandro Candollo-Urbaneja, 22, and Gregory Marlyn Galindez-Trias, 24, were arrested in Rensselaer, N.Y., in connection with the case. Cops said they found the duo after they used Samaniego’s stolen credit card at an Amtrak station, News 12 Connecticut reported.
Additionally, investigators said Candollo-Urbaneja and Galindez-Trias were carrying a blood-stained piece of paper with Samaniego’s credit card number on it, according to the Stamford Advocate.
The two suspects were also seen on surveillance footage leaving the Super 8 on the night of Oct. 13, according to police.
Authorities tracked Samaniego’s car to Detroit, but the man driving it knew nothing about his death, the Advocate reported. However, he identified Candollo-Urbaneja and Galindez-Trias as the two people who sold him the vehicle, cops said.
Candollo-Urbaneja and Galindez-Trias are currently facing several larceny and theft counts but have not been charged with murder. Stamford police told the Advocate additional charges could be added to the case.
Judge Kevin Randolph raised the suspects’ bail from $2 million to $5 million each at Monday’s hearing, according to News 12. He described the killing as “an execution.”
When the pair were arrested, Rensselaer authorities described them as members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang. Galindez-Trias mentioned the gang at her arraignment, according to the Advocate. However, Stamford police have not said anything about the killing being gang-related.
