Girlfriend charged in missing engineer's death

The body of a man believed to be missing engineer Charles London Beck was found in a shallow grave and two people, including his girlfriend, face charges of first-degree murder, robbery and kidnapping, the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office reports.

Beck, 25, who vanished last week, was apparently shot in the head after he escaped, duct-taped, from the trunk of his car, authorities said.

The suspects are Nicole Sylvester, 20, of 3404 N. 55 Street, Apt. D, in Tampa, and Byron Moorehead, bottom left, 20, of 2602 Cabin Court, Apt. 103, Lutz.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office found Beck's missing 2002 silver Mecedes in an apartment complex parking lot in Green Acres. They watched the car until Sylvester and Moorehead arrived to pick it up, the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office said.

Sylvester admitted to all of the charges and implicated Moorehead, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said. (Both suspects are pictured below: Sylvester on left, Moorehead on right.)

Deputies say Sylvester called Beck to come to Moorehead's apartment, 7808 River Resort Lane, Apt. C, between March 12 and March 13, with a plan that when Beck arrived, they would rob him.

When Beck got there, the two suspects held Beck at gunpoint and demanded he get on the floor while Sylvester removed the engineer's wallet, according to Hillsborough sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

Sylvester and Moorehead then bound Beck with duct tape and put him in the trunk of his own 2002 Mercedes, deputies say. They then drove Beck south on Interstate 75 near the Ellenton exit, where they pulled to the side of the road.

Deputies say that's when Beck tried to escape. But the pair subdued the victim, deputies say, and Moorehead shot him in the head. Sylvester and Moorehead then drove Beck to Highlands County, where deputies say he was buried in a shallow grave.

Beck, a University of South Florida graduate, worked for a year at Marlin Engineering in Tampa. Carter on Thursday described Sylvester as Beck's girlfriend.

Beck last spoke with his mother on Wednesday night after returning from a business training trip to Tallahassee, according to police. He did not report to work the next day as expected and was first reported missing on Tuesday.

Sylvester and Moorehead are charged with first degree murder, armed robbery and armed kidnapping. They are being charged in Palm Beach County and will eventually be transported back to Tampa, Carter said.

-- Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer

Comments

Idiots!

[al]

Where is the NAACP to protest this?? they are quick to protest silly things or when someone perpretrates anything offensive to blacks?? Where are they now??

[Floyd]

I'm confused. This guy has an engineering degree? What is he doing with the likes of this girlfriend thug?

[Mark]

Get Al Sharpton on this. Oh wait, this one isn't in his best interest is it?

Which one of the dudes was the grilfriend?

Is there a training class somewhere that teaches these people to pose for the mugshot? All these punks seem to lean to one side of the other.

[Sleuthster]

The mug shot of Nicole Sylvester is actually from a prior arrest late last year according to Hillsborough County arrest records. She was charged on 2 seperate occasions for domestic violence. How sad. I wonder if this victim was also the victim on those occasions. I wonder what made him even get involved with these losers.

[Sleuthster]

Also, Byron Moorehead's myspace says it all

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=28090001

"Better watch your plate I'm just trying to eat"

Apparently it cost this guy his life to feed ole Byron.

[John]

OMG!!! Nicole is actually the "girl" in white tank top. The victim is in some freaky stuffs here.

[wilbur]

Crime and dating. We may never know what really happened. A man is dead and suspects are in custody;not exactly a happy ending.
Justice is all we can ask for.

REST IN PEACE AND BLESS YOUR FAMILY AT THIS TRYING TIME.....

[bill]

She looks a little like Curly from the old Harlem Globetrotter's lineup. I guess that's why the young engineer fell for her?

Was this guy really a 25 year old engineer with a Mercedes? There's got to be something more to this story. Sure he had creepy teeth in that picture, but hookin up with Curly?

[bill]

She looks a little like Curly from the old Harlem Globetrotter's lineup. I guess that's why the young engineer fell for her?

Was this guy really a 25 year old engineer with a Mercedes? There's got to be something more to this story. Sure he had creepy teeth in that picture, but hookin up with Curly?

[Hope they burn]

I hope they hang. I knew charles personally and I think they are going to get what is coming for them.

[Stephanie B]

Of course the ignorant and uneducated MUST voice their opinion. Love has nothing to do with your skin color- and not all "black people" cause pain and suffering. It's 2008, get over it. I'm disgusted that we can't focus on the victim's family and their loss. RIP Charles.

[annonymous]

I hope these two murderer thugs get raped over and over and over again in Palm Beach county jail AND in Hillsborough county jail.

Look up the two bastards who murdered him on HSCO. Charles is on that website also and sad to say none of them had a clean record! Why would a educated man that has a sucessful life at his finger tips be linked with these two low class beotchs Nicole and Byron? Beck obviously made a difference in society by educating himself but that can not be said of these two idiots! There is always the ignorant,greedy,dirty,low class,people like NICOLE & BYRON to make this world a horrible place. Those two nasty skanks WILL get their 20yr old bootys nice and lubed while in prison!! I hope they suffer tremendously!

Check the DNA. They're innocent!

Wilbur - you are so compassionate, you make me cry. For the answers, ask Mr. Ed ,he knows