TPD: 'Longtime roommate' confesses to strangling missing woman to death following argument

The man arrested following the killing of Cecilia Lopez-Quessada was her "longtime roommate" and confessed to strangling her following an argument.

That's according to a probable cause affidavit released by the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD).

Lopez-Quessada, 74, was reported missing last Tuesday. Her body was found Thursday — the same day Martin "Eric" Barrett, 59, was arrested on a murder charge.

Cecilia Lopez-Quessada found: Man arrested for murder after Tallahassee police find body of missing woman

'An earth angel' and 'unfillable hole in our hearts'

Lopez-Quessada is the mother of two children and had four grandchildren.

At the time of her death, she was the Director of Global Contract Operations at Aderant, a legal software company, where she worked for 31 years.

"I love you so much Mom, and you meant the world to me and so many others," read a public Instagram post by her son, James Lopez, who told the Democrat he did not wish to comment further.

On Sunday, a GoFundMe with a goal of $10,000 was created to help the Lopez-Quessada family. As of Tuesday afternoon, it has over $14,000.

"This loss leaves an unfillable hole in our hearts," read the GoFundMe description. "We are blessed to have known such an earth angel, someone who was accomplished, charming, brave, kind, thoughtful, generous and someone who loved her children more than anything."

From missing persons case to murder investigation

The initial call to TPD came Monday from Lopez-Quessada's friend and coworker who was concerned that she had not come into work since Thursday, March 31, and was not responding to phone calls — through her car was parked at her house.

Police went to the house in northwest Tallahassee for a wellness check when they first made contact with Barrett, who police describe as a "longtime roommate."

Barrett said he had not seen Lopez-Quessada for a few days. He later said he last saw her Monday before he went fishing "somewhere off Highway 90."

After Barrett and Lopez-Quessada's son granted permission, police scanned the house and noted its neatness.

Later in the day, police conducted a more thorough search after obtaining a search warrant. They found her work laptop, car keys and cell phone before spotting blood-stained bedding and carpeting in their bedroom.

In Barrett's white pick-up truck, they found blood on multiple items including a paper towel and a storage container lid.

Barrett had scratches on his face, arms and hands, noted investigators after speaking with him Tuesday.

In the following few days police began interviewing witnesses and following the evidence trail left by his phone pings against cellular towers.

One witness said Barrett was known to "smoke crack cocaine and, anytime Barrett would be paid for work, he would immediately go buy cocaine," read the affidavit.

On Thursday, detectives found Lopez-Quessada's body, which was incompletely covered by branches, nearly 40 feet into the woodline of a vacant plot of land north of Tower Road.

"The positioning of the branches, while failing to conceal the body, suggests there may have been plans to later burn the body," wrote investigators.

Police point to two confessions

The same day, a man who had Barrett fix his toilet called 911 to report that Barrett had confessed to killing Lopez-Quessada.

"Barrett told (the man) that Quessada came (and) attacked him when she accused him of stealing cash from her passport," police wrote, adding that Barrett said he "choked her to death" before he "dumped Quessada's body off of Tower Road."

The same day, he confessed the murder to police.

"Without being asked any questions, Barrett then spontaneously confessed to killing Quessada," an investigator wrote about their final interview with Barrett before he was booked in the Leon County Detention Facility without bail.

Barrett ultimately said that on Sunday, April 3, he "snapped" after "Quessada began scratching" him and choked her to death, an affidavit read.

He then hand drew a map to the location where he attempted to hide Lopez-Quessada's body. Investigators said it was a match.

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Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Man arrested after killing of Cecila Lopez-Quessada admitted to act