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Couple arrested after man found shot multiple times at 'Compound' in Palm Bay

By FOX 35 News Staff
Published  September 10, 2023 6:49pm EDT
Palm Bay
FOX 35 Orlando

Fourth body found in Palm Bay 'Compound'

Two people have been arrested in connection to the murder of a 30-year-old man from Palm Bay whose body was dumped in the area known as the Compound. This is the fourth body found in the area since December.

PALM BAY, Fla. - A man and woman have been arrested in the shooting death of a person whose body was found days ago at an abandoned housing development in Brevard County, known as "the Compound," according to the Palm Bay Police Department.

The body of Nicholas Mitchell, 30, was found on Friday, Sept. 8, in a wooded area near Warbler and St. Andre in Palm Bay. The Medical Examiner's Office told police that Mitchell had been shot multiple times, citing preliminary evidence, police said.

Mitchell's roommate, Robert Paul Lanning III, and Lanning's girlfriend, Rene Lemos, have both been charged in Mitchell's death, police said.

According to Palm Bay police, Mitchell was reported missing on Sept. 5. However, his roommate, Lanning, told police that he last saw Mitchell on Aug. 30.

Police opened an investigation and searched areas near Mitchell's home, as well as within the Compound development, a news release said.

Through that investigation, police conducted a computer search on Mitchell's vehicle and found that it was last seen in Alabama on Sept. 2, three days after Mitchell was first reported missing.

Police later learned that on Sept. 4, that vehicle was involved in a high-speed pursuit in Alabama and later crashed. Mitchell's roommate, Lanning, was behind the wheel and arrested on charges stemming from the pursuit, police said.

Police said Lanning's girlfriend, Rene Lemos, showed up at the crash site.

During interviews with detectives, police said Lanning and Lemos both said they met Mitchell on Aug. 30 at a Circle K in Palm Bay and they drove out to the Compound in Mitchell's vehicle and Lanning's truck.

At some point, Mitchell was shot and his body was left on the side of the road, according to police. The man and woman then drove away from the area in Mitchell's vehicle and Lanning's truck.

Lanning was arrested in Marshall County, Alabama on charges of first-degree felony murder and grand theft. His girlfriend, Lemos, was arrested in Kennesaw, Georgia on charges of accessory after the fact to first-degree felony murder and grand theft.

Police said both are awaiting extradition back to Florida.