Naman Shrestha
In early 2006, a Cuban artist named Marcelo Vera was found murdered in his Miami residence following a robbery gone wrong. Shockwaves were sent across the entire community while grief took over his family and friends. Although the authorities managed to apprehend the brains behind the robbery, they were still a long way from capturing the perpetrator responsible for committing the murder. The entire case is documented in-depth in the episode titled ‘G or Gent’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Death By Fame.’ The documentary also features insightful interviews with individuals directly and indirectly related to the case and the investigation that followed.
Three Assailants Were Involved in the Murder of Marcelo Vera in His Home
Born around 1962 to a high-ranking government official in Cuba, Marcelo Vera grew up to be a local artist and art dealer. Given his achievements and experience in the field, he was reportedly profiled in a 1988 front-page Herald article. Besides that, he was also a part of the Cuban army during Angola’s civil war. However, he had differences with the government and protested executions there. On the fateful night of January 2006, Marcelo was ambushed in his Miami house at 14044 Southwest 104th Terrace. Despite his best efforts to survive the attack, the 44-year-old Cuban artist met his demise. Not long after, the police arrived at the scene of the crime and apprehended one of the three attackers.
Marcelo Vera’s Killer Was an Associate of His Former Employee
Marcelo Vera allegedly got into a dispute with one of his employees — Stephany Concepcion. She claimed that the Cuban artist had groped her. Due to the alleged incident, she plotted to rob him as he was known to keep large amounts of cash in his home. Thus, she involved a couple of her associates — Baron “Dirty” Colon, Dread, and Big Killa — to help her with the burglary. On the day of the planned burglary, she knocked on Marcelo’s door around 11:30 pm and was invited inside while her associates waited outside. She reportedly excused herself into the bathroom and placed a call to the accomplices to give them the green light.
However, things went south when the robbery turned violent. Stephany allegedly remained in the bathroom and heard Marcelo being beaten and multiple gunshots being fired. After the crime, the men left her stranded on the property as they drove off before the police arrived. She was arrested on the spot. Ultimately, Stephany pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. In exchange, she agreed to testify against other men involved in the robbery-turned-murder. Although she had told the detectives that a barber named Baron Colon was also majorly involved in the crime, they knew that they needed more evidence against him to prosecute him.
Meanwhile, he appeared in the second season of the MTV show ‘From G’s to Gents,’ which aired in 2009. In the first episode of the season, he said, “I got two kids. I want to be in the gentleman’s club because I want to change for them. If I don’t change, there’s only going to be two things: prison or death.” In order to get to the bottom of the case, the authorities hired an undercover informant and managed to get a confession out of Baron, who admitted that he “shot the victim several times as the victim pled for his life.” The entire confession was recorded by the informant as the killer went into all the intricate details of the homicide. With enough evidence against him, the authorities finally arrested the 24-year-old barber, who resided in Miami Gardens, on January 7, 2011, for the armed robbery of Marcelo Vera.
Baron “Dirty” Colon is Incarcerated at a Florida Prison Facility Today
About four years later, the trial of Baron “Dirty” Colon in connection to the murder of Marcelo Vera got underway in August 2015. During the trial, the prosecution presented the defendant’s recorded confession in front of the jury in addition to testimony from one of the accomplices of the robbery. On the other hand, the defense team of Baron argued that there was a lack of DNA and fingerprint evidence against him. As for the confession, the defense attorney dismissed it as something a wannabe rapper would brag than actually mean it. The lawyer claimed, “It’s very common in this industry to take credit for things they didn’t do, murders they didn’t do. Street cred is vital. It’s important.”
After several days of hearing both sides of the coin, the jury deliberated and returned with a guilty verdict for Baron Colon. On September 1, 2015, he was convicted of first-degree murder and burglary assault in the killing of Marcelo Vera in January 2006. Three months later, in December, the convict was finally brought to justice as he received a 30-year imprisonment sentence for his crimes. With his release date scheduled for December 2040, Baron is currently serving his sentence at Graceville Correctional Facility in Graceville, Florida.
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