Today, Edey Cardenas, 25, of Lee County, was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to 35 years in prison for Second-Degree Murder, Attempted Felony Murder, Robbery with a Firearm, and Witness Tampering. Each charge is a first-degree felony.
Cardenas was one of four individuals who conspired to rob a man on May 13, 2018, in Fort Myers. The victim was lured to a location on Louise Avenue by one of Cardenas’ co-defendants. When the victim arrived, he was jumped, beaten, and then shot by another co-defendant. Cardenas and his codefendants took $60 from the victim and left him to die. The co-defendant who shot the man also fired shots at one of his friends as she fled the scene and called 911, which resulted in the attempted murder charges.
The Fort Myers Police Department investigated the case resulting in the arrest of four individuals, including Cardenas. During the investigation the detectives collected surveillance video, cell phone and cell phone tower records, fingerprints, and DNA evidence. That evidence combined with eyewitness testimony led to the identification of Cardenas and his co-defendants as well as the convictions of Cardenas, Cheyenne Marron and Mario Benitez. Marron and Benitez previously entered pleas to the charges and were sentenced to prison. The remaining defendant is scheduled for trial later this year.
In a separate but related case, Cardenas was sentenced to 30 years in prison for tampering with a witness. Cardenas, through a third party, messaged more than one witness listed in the homicide case. State Attorney’s Office Investigators discovered messages sent by Cardenas to the third party which were recorded by the email and phone systems at the Lee County Jail. Based upon these recordings Cardenas was arrested and convicted by his plea of guilty.
These cases were prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Dan Feinberg, Mara Marzano, and Jessica Horowitz.
Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office