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SALT LAKE CITY — Police continued efforts Monday to find a Salt Lake man suspected of killing his childhood friend over the weekend.
Michael Ramirez, 27, was found dead, the victim of an apparent assault, about 9:30 a.m. Sunday. His mother believes he was killed for the cash he was carrying.
Ramirez was found in the garage at 1267 W. 900 South, the home of Roberto "Robert" Carlos Munoz, 29. Munoz was seen leaving the house on foot about 30 minutes earlier, according to Salt Lake police.
Evelyn Chavez, Ramirez's mother, said the two men grew up together. She last saw her son with Munoz on Saturday night.
"It's horrible. It's like it's not real," Chavez said Monday. "He left the house at about 11-something with Robert and never came back."
Ramirez was described as someone who made everyone laugh. Chavez believes her son was killed for the cash in his wallet, which she described as the payout of a recent settlement.
We just know he had money and was in the process of buying another car. His wallet wasn't found on him.
–Evelyn Chavez
"We just know he had money and was in the process of buying another car," she said. "His wallet wasn't found on him."
Investigators describe Munoz as 5 feet 2 inches tall, 150 pounds with buzzed black hair. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with black sleeves and blue jeans. Munoz has been known to have a handgun and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.
Munoz has been convicted of misdemeanor charges dating back to 2005 of retail theft, failure to stop at the command of law enforcement, giving false information to law enforcement, possession of a controlled substance and driving under the influence, according to a search of state court records.
Munoz was most recently incarcerated in prison from July 2014 to October 2014, according to a Utah State Prison spokeswoman.
Ramirez's criminal history in Utah includes two felony convictions of possessing a controlled substance and misdemeanor convictions for violation of a protective order, criminal trespass and unlawful acquisition of a financial card.
Contributing: Sandra Yi
