Arrest made in 2021 downtown Melbourne fatal hit-and-run that killed The Mansion manager
After a lengthy investigation, Melbourne police have arrested the driver suspected of fatally striking Nate "Puppy" Real, a manager at The Mansion, in a November 2021 hit-and-run crash on U.S. 1 in downtown Melbourne.
Benjamin Moore, 33, of Palm Bay was arrested Monday and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with death, vehicular homicide and tampering with physical evidence.
Moore has pleaded not guilty and requested a jury trial. He was released from the Brevard County Jail Complex early Tuesday morning on $90,000 bond. No further court dates have been scheduled yet in his case.
A message seeking comment was left Tuesday morning for Moore's attorneys of record, Michael Cook and Patrick Landy of West Melbourne.
Real, a 28-year-old who lived in Melbourne, was hit by a southbound vehicle that fled the crash scene just before 2 a.m. on Nov. 27, 2021 — two days after Thanksgiving — in the darkness on U.S. 1 between New Haven and Strawbridge avenues. There were no witnesses, an arrest warrant affidavit said.
A police officer found a vehicle part at the crash scene with a serial number and manufacturer. That part was only used on GMC Sierra trucks from 2007-13, the affidavit said.
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The day after the fatal hit-and-run, police were contacted by attorney Michael Bross. He and Moore, his client, drove to the Apollo Boulevard police headquarters and met with police. Bross turned over the keys to Moore's red 2012 GMC Sierra, which was located in Palm Bay on Emerson Drive Northwest about ½-mile east of the St. Johns Heritage Parkway, the affidavit said.
Bross told police Moore would exercise his right to remain silent. Moore signed a consent form to let police search the vehicle, and he provided two DNA samples, the affidavit said. Police did not arrest Moore that day.
The red Sierra had damage to the passenger-side fender, hood and headlight assembly.
The ensuing investigation lasted more than 19 months, and Moore's arrest affidavit is 24 pages long. Police reviewed surveillance video footage from 21 businesses in Palm Bay and Melbourne that show the Sierra's passenger-side headlight was functioning until the late-night crash occurred, the affidavit said. After returning home, police said Moore removed the damaged headlight and used zip ties to hold a bumper cowling in place.
The broken headlight assembly was found in the bed of the truck. Pieces had Moore's DNA and fingerprints on them, and his DNA was found on the steering wheel and gear shift, the affidavit said.
Police also obtained historical cell-tower location data from Moore's phone and information from the truck's data recorder, which indicated the vehicle was traveling 65 mph at the time of the crash, investigators said. The posted speed limit in that stretch of U.S. 1 is 40 mph. An arrest warrant was secured Friday.
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“It’s a complex investigation, obviously. So the goal of the investigation is to make sure that we get everything correct. And when we present it to a jury — should it go that route — that we'll get a successful prosecution," Police Sgt. Ben Slover said.
"So we don't want to rush it. We want to make sure that we get everything that we need for the case and put it together, because we get one shot at the case," Slover said.
"I know that the traffic investigators had been working very diligently to put the case together, and it was a very high priority for them," he said.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Palm Bay man arrested in 2021 fatal hit-and-run in Melbourne, Florida
