FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — New details reveal the Pompano Beach man accused of killing another man inside a truck is the victim’s cousin, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies also say the victim was found dead in the bed area of a tractor-trailer with a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.
During a press conference on Tuesday, St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro credited a 911 call reporting a suspicious person lead to a homicide investigation.
“The caller provided clothing description advised that a Black male was observed lying on the ground and rolling around on the west side of the roadway, behaving erratically,” Del Toro said.
On January 15, the Sheriff’s Office encountered Olson Jean,41, of Pompano Beach, near South Rock Road, behind a Pilot Truck Stop.
“Throughout this encounter, he provided inconsistent statements regarding his actions,” Sheriff Del Toro said. At one point, Jean told deputies he “drives a Waste Management truck and denied any ties to the tractor-trailer near the intersection of South Rock Road and State Road 70.
Without probable cause, deputies on scene let Jean go and shifted their focus to the unoccupied tractor-trailer.
Deputies noticed what Sheriff Del Toro described as a “reddish substance, consistent with blood” on the passenger door and the side step. A peek inside showed a significant amount of blood.
During their search, the sheriff says Jean asked officials on scene if they needed permission to search the truck.
Shortly after, officials confirmed the truck was registered to Jean and tried to locate him again.
Jean was found at the Pilot truck stop, eventually detained, and taken to the sheriff’s office for further questioning.
“Throughout this questioning, he was uncooperative and refused to provide clarification regarding the circumstances that led to the vehicle being abandoned along the roadway,” Del Toro said.
The next day, on January 16, crime scene investigators tested a substance on the tractor-trailor and it tested positive for blood.
Investigators canvassed the area and discovered two firearms.
“Deputies canvassed the area near South Rock Road and recovered a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 rifle, a Springfield Hellcat handgun, and handgun magazines matching the Springfield handgun as well,” said Del Toro. “The firearms and magazines were located near a canal and appear to have been intentionally placed there.”
Investigators obtained a search warrant, searched the 2020 Freightliner, and made a gruesome discovery.
“Inside a storage compartment inside the sleeper, the bed area in the back, deputies located a deceased adult male, Wendy Moncion, 32, Coconut Creek,” revealed Del Toro.
The medical examiner concluded Moncion was killed by a single gunshot to the back of the head and ruled his death a homicide.
Del Toro revealed the two men were cousins, and Moncion joined Jean on his drive from Georgia to Florida after Jean expressed “concerns to family members about sleeping in his truck during stops along the route to Florida,” according to Del Toro.
The sheriff also shared he spoke with Jean’s wife, who told officials Jean had appeared to be struggling with some mental health issues.
The last known contact Moncion had with family was at 6:40 p.m. on January 15th.
On January 17th, SLCSO arrested Jean and charged him with first-degree murder with a firearm, tampering with evidence, and obstruction of justice without violence.
Deputies still don’t know the motive but are still investigating.