Shivangi Sinha
Omar Medina’s family, concerned by his absence for several days in 2017, reported him missing. About a week into the police search, some of Omar’s belongings were discovered, and shortly thereafter, his lifeless body was found inside a barrel. The investigation into this gruesome incident, as depicted in ‘See No Evil: Body in a Barrel,’ unfolds, revealing the connections to Timothy John Cook and Derrick Jefferson Spurgeon.
How Did Omar Medina Die?
By September 2017, Omar Medina resided in Chula Vista, California, sharing a living space with a roommate. A 28-year-old individual, Omar was characterized as a lively and music-loving person. Possessing the ability to play various musical instruments, he added joy and laughter to family gatherings. Described by his family as vivacious and virtuoso, Omar, the youngest of three siblings, held a special place as the beloved uncle to his nephews and nieces.
The last contact Omar Medina’s family had with him was on September 30, 2017. His sister, who was the last person to see him, raised concerns when the family couldn’t reach him in the following days. Subsequently, they filed a missing person report with the Chula Vista police on October 2. On October 12, a diver discovered a metal barrel floating in the San Diego Bay.
The barrel, adorned with hazard tape and a wireline that was tied to three cinder blocks, prompted the diver to alert the harbor police. Upon pulling the barrel ashore, Omar’s decomposed body was found inside. A later autopsy, conducted in late November, confirmed his identity and revealed that Omar had suffered 66 stab wounds to the chest, back, neck, and head, ultimately causing his death. The report determined that Omar had been killed on September 30.
Who Killed Omar Medina?
After Omar Medina’s family filed a missing person report, the police located his car on Oaklawn Avenue on October 7, 2017. This was not far from the residence he shared with Timothy John Cook on McIntosh Street. Inside the car, some of Omar’s belongings, including his computer and guitar, were discovered. Upon discovering Omar’s car and belongings, the police conducted a welfare check at Omar’s residence. They found that Omar lived in a separate room detached from the house, and his living space had been entirely cleared out. Certain sections of drywall and flooring were absent, and parts of the room were damp. Additionally, the bedroom window had been broken, despite no apparent signs of construction or renovation on the property.
By analyzing surveillance footage and CCTV images, the police successfully traced Timothy’s movements to the location where Omar’s car was discovered, as well as to a landfill. During his visit to the landfill, Timothy was seen with rugs that matched those observed at Omar’s dismantled living space. On October 11, the police witnessed Timothy towing a Bass Tracker boat on a trailer, accompanied by another individual named Derrick Spurgeon. They carried a white cylindrical object, which Derrick later took to the bay but did not return with. Neighbors also reported an unusual amount of cleaning and the use of mechanical equipment at Timothy’s house in the days following Omar’s disappearance.
The police carried out search warrants at Timothy’s, Derrick’s, and Timothy’s brother’s residences. Upon inspecting Timothy’s house, they observed that the room previously occupied by Omar had been further demolished. On Derrick’s property, they located the Bass Tracker boat, and at Timothy’s brother’s property, they found the truck Timothy had been seen driving, along with cinder blocks and a wireline. A tan pillowcase discovered in the barrel containing Omar’s body matched an identical one recovered from Timothy’s house.
Analysis of Timothy’s phone records indicated that he had discussed Omar’s perceived sloppiness and irresponsibility as a housemate with his brother and expressed his frustration about living with him. Moreover, police discovered images of Omar’s bank information, including a deposit of $84,000 in his savings account from a legal settlement.
Timothy had Omar’s details, such as his social security number and date of birth, on his server. Although Timothy had deleted this information from his email, it remained on the server. Timothy had also told his brother that he was out of town from October 1 to October 7, but his cell records showed he was in the house itself. In light of all this information, the police charged Timothy and Derrick with Omar’s murder, and their trial began.
Timothy John Cook and Derrick Jefferson Spurgeon are in Prison Today
During Timothy John Cook’s trial in December 2019, his defense team asserted that he had discovered Omar Medina’s body in the house but was not the one responsible for the murder. They argued that Timothy, upon finding the body, panicked and, based on his previous negative experiences with law enforcement, chose not to report it. Instead, he disposed of the body. Despite these claims, the jury convicted him of second-degree murder, sentencing him to 56 years to life. Timothy, now 58 years old, is serving his sentence at the California State Prison in Corcoran and will be eligible for parole in December 2042.
Derrick Jefferson Spurgeon faced charges of being an accessory to the murder, with allegations that Timothy John Cook recruited him to dispose of the body and assisted in depositing it in San Diego Bay. However, the jury reached a deadlock at 10-2 in favor of guilt. Subsequently, in January 2021, Derrick opted for a guilty plea for unlawfully disposing of a dead body, resulting in a 6-month sentence in the county jail. Additionally, he received a state prison sentence for unrelated robbery and drug charges. Derrick, 44 years old, is presently serving his combined sentences at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, amounting to 11 years. he will be eligible for parole in March 2025.
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