K9 nabs Hobe Sound fatal stabbing suspect in Jacksonville; man faces manslaughter charge

Mauricio La Plante, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·2 min read

After an extensive search for a suspect in the fatal stabbing of a Port St. Lucie man, law enforcement officials arrested him in Jacksonville Thursday, according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office.

Jared Diaz, 30, of Jupiter, fled to Jacksonville after Martin County sheriff's deputies issued an arrest warrant for him in connection to the stabbing death of Robert Tyler Meadows, 26, Saturday, a sheriff's official said.

Diaz faces a felony charge of aggravated manslaughter, according to the Sheriff's Office.

After a nearly week-long manhunt for Diaz, detectives said they found him in Jacksonville with the help of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

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Diaz tried to flee through a window as deputies converged on the area, only to be nabbed by a Jacksonville sheriff's K9.

Deputies arrested him outside a Jacksonville home Thursday, according to a Martin County sheriff's news release.

Martin County sheriff's Chief Deputy John Budensiek said Diaz stabbed Meadows during a fight at a Hobe Sound home in the Preserve of Hobe Sound community on Seabranch Boulevard Saturday.

Meadows was at his girlfriend's hair appointment at the home when Diaz stabbed him during a fight, sheriff's investigators said.

Detectives are withholding what sparked the fight and how many times Meadows was stabbed, Budensiek said.

The two men did not know each other well, but based on witness testimonies, it appears their girlfriends were friends, Budensiek said.

Meadows was transported to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce where he died Saturday.

Diaz is expected to be transferred to the Martin County Jail. He was not there as of noon Friday, according to a jail official.

Mauricio La Plante is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm focusing on Martin County. Follow him on Twitter @mslaplantenews or email him at Mauricio.LaPlante@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Jared Diaz charged with fatally stabbing Robert Meadows in Hobe Sound