A Rockville man accused of killing a KFC coworker with whom he was having an affair and leaving her body behind a dumpster has been indicted on a murder charge.
Elmer Campos-Martinez, 47, is facing a charge of second-degree murder for the death of Dania Mendez de Guerra, 21, of Wheaton. He was arrested in November, but Thursday’s indictment, which was announced on Friday, moves his case from district court to circuit court.
On Nov. 6, de Guerra’s husband reported her missing to police after she hadn’t returned from work the night before. On Nov. 10, her body was found partially obscured by trash behind a dumpster, a block from the KFC where she and Campos-Martinez worked on University Boulevard West in Wheaton.
Police interviewed Campos-Martinez after learning he was in a relationship with de Guerra, who was married and had a 4-year-old child.
He allegedly admitted to detectives that he killed her after an argument when she left work. Upset with Campos-Martinez, de Guerra wanted to break up, according to court documents. The argument escalated and Campos-Martinez reportedly admitted to punching her three times and pushing her to the ground, where she hit her head, authorities have said.
Police found defensive wounds on her head and face. The chief medical examiner’s office determined she died by multiple blunt-force trauma and asphyxia.
Campos-Martinez is being held without bail in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. He faces up to 40 years in prison.