Grand jury indicts man on first-degree murder in killing of Tallahassee woman
The man arrested last month in the killing of Cecilia Lopez-Quessada has been indicted by a Leon County grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder.
Martin "Eric" Barrett, 59, was indicted Friday on a charge of first-degree murder in the killing of Cecilia Lopez-Quessada, according to court records. The indictment said she died as a result of strangulation and blunt-force trauma to her head.
Lopez-Quessada, 74, was reported missing by a friend and coworker on March 31 after she didn't show up for work at Aderant, a legal software company. A few days later, police found her body hidden in the woods off Tower Road in northwest Tallahassee.
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Barrett, described in court documents as Lopez-Quessada's "longtime roommate" initially lied to police about what happened to her, according to arrest records.
He later confessed after investigators with the Tallahassee Police Department found blood evidence in their house and in his pickup truck.
Barrett told officers he "snapped" during an altercation with her on April 3 and choked her to death.
Lopez-Quessada worked as a global contracts administrator for the software company for more than 30 years. She is survived by two children, four grandchildren and five siblings.
"Cecilia was a devoted sister, mother and grandmother," her obituary said. "She was a brilliant and accomplished woman who doted on her pets and enjoyed a warm cup of coffee, the daily paper and other good reads."
Her loved ones set up a GoFundMe to help her family. So far, more than $16,000 has been raised.
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee man indicted on 1st-degree murder in killing of longtime roommate
