A 32-year-old Kissimmee man who previously was on probation for a felony battery conviction has been identified as a person of interest in the homicide of a 71-year-old man.
Nicolas Alexander Lopez is currently being held in the Seminole County Jail on unrelated charges. At this time, Kissimmee police have only charged him with grand theft auto in connection with the theft of a vehicle belonging to homicide victim Charles Harper.
Harper was found dead Thursday, June 25 at a home in the 1500 block of Heather Way. Kissimmee police said officers responded at about 10:15 a.m. after receiving a report of a person with apparent injuries.
Officers found Harper deceased when they arrived. Detectives responded to the scene, and the death was later classified as a homicide.
Police have not released Harper’s cause of death or described his injuries. They also have not disclosed when or where his vehicle was recovered, how investigators connected Lopez to the alleged theft or what led detectives to identify him as a person of interest.
The investigation remains active, and detectives continue to pursue leads, according to the department.
Lopez has a prior felony battery conviction stemming from a July 2022 incident at a Kissimmee residence. In September 2023, he pleaded no contest to felony battery and was sentenced to 455 days in the Osceola County Jail, with credit for all 455 days already served and was ordered to serve two years of community control followed by one year of probation.
Current state records do not list Lopez as being on active probation. According to the arrest affidavit, the conviction stemmed from an incident in which Lopez assaulted his stepmother with a cane after she confronted him about taking items from her purse.
The report states Lopez threatened to kill her during the attack while several family members, including a 2-year-old child, were inside the home. Investigators documented bruising, swelling and other visible injuries. Osceola County Fire Rescue treated the woman at the scene, but she declined transport to a hospital, according to the affidavit. The victim told deputies she never felt safe when Lopez was in the home.
The report also states Lopez had been taken into custody under Florida’s Baker Act earlier that day but was released before deputies were called to the residence. Deputies described his demeanor as changing frequently and said some of his statements did not make sense.
Lopez was initially arrested on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Court records show he later pleaded no contest to the reduced charge of felony battery.
Records also show Lopez was evaluated for competency in the case and ultimately found competent to proceed.
Lopez is currently being held in the Seminole County Jail on charges of resisting an officer without violence and two counts of giving a false name or identification to law enforcement. No additional information about the circumstances surrounding those charges was available at press time.
Osceola deputy arrested on domestic violence, obstruction charges
An Osceola County sheriff ’s deputy who has investigated numerous domestic violence cases has been arrested in Orange County on allegations that he assaulted his longtime partner and prevented her from contacting law enforcement.
Elias Ramirez III, 34, was arrested early Thursday on charges of domestic violence battery and obstructing justice by hindering a witness from communicating with law enforcement, according to an Orange County arrest affidavit.
He faced a judge for the first time Friday, and was released on a $3,500 bond. Conditions of his release included no contact with the victim and to maintain a separate residence after returning one time to their Orlando residence to retrieve belongings.
Ramirez has worked for the Osceola County Sheriff ’s Office since March 2024 and has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest, according to the agency.
The affidavit states Ramirez and the woman had been in a relationship and living together for about eight years. They share a 2-year-old child.
Orange County deputies responded to a gas station early Thursday after the woman went there to contact law enforcement because Ramirez had allegedly taken her personal and work cell phones. She told investigators that she and Ramirez had argued at their home after he woke her and raised concerns about whether she could take their child to St. Augustine.
The woman alleged the argument became physical after she told Ramirez she had evidence of prior domestic violence on her phone and intended to take him to court.
According to the affidavit, Ramirez took possession of both phones, pushed and shoved the woman and prevented her from leaving the home. She also alleged he covered her mouth while she cried out, causing her to struggle to breathe.
Investigators documented multiple abrasions, bruising and swelling on the woman’s body, according to the affidavit. Photographs of her injuries were collected as evidence.
The woman told investigators she did not wish to pursue criminal charges or testify in court. Under Florida law, however, an officer’s decision to make an arrest based on probable cause in a domestic violence case does not require a victim’s consent.
A domestic violence lethality assessment classified the woman as being in a potentially lethal situation based on her responses, according to the affidavit. She was provided information about seeking an injunction and other victim services.
Orange County deputies later went to the couple’s home, where Ramirez came outside and was taken into custody. He was transported to an Orange County Sheriff ’s Office substation for questioning and later booked into the Orange County Jail. A report detailing his interview is not being released as the investigation is ongoing.
The arresting deputy concluded there was probable cause to believe Ramirez committed domestic-violence battery and obstructed the woman’s access to law enforcement by taking and retaining her cellphones. The Florida Department of Children and Families was notified because the couple’s young child was present during the incident, according to the affidavit.
In the months preceding his own arrest, Ramirez signed probable cause affidavits in at least five unrelated domestic violence cases. In those reports, he documented visible injuries, evaluated conflicting accounts, identified primary aggressors and completed domestic-violence lethality assessments before making arrests. In one case, Ramirez sought charges against a man accused of grabbing his pregnant girlfriend by the neck and trying to choke her.
