Two arrests have been made for the death of a man who was found in the back seat of a vehicle in a Nashville wrecker yard.
Metro Nashville Police Department said Saturday that a Davidson County Grand Jury returned indictments charging first-degree murder for Jose Pablo Zavala, 38, who was taken into custody in Dallas, Texas.
Rosa Carol Torres, 31, was also indicted. She’s facing charges of evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse. She is in custody in Wilson County, according to WKRN.
In December 2023, 58-year-old Orlando Hernandez’s body was found at a Nashville wrecker yard hidden in the backseat of a Chevrolet Blazer. An employee from a South Nashville wrecker service found the body in the vehicle that has been towed, because it was thought to be abandoned.
Investigators believe that Hernandez was killed by Zavala inside a home in the 3700 block of N. Natchez Court and then placed into the SUV. Torres then allegedly helped to dispose of the body.
MNPD Detective Kyle Eicholtz said the crimes may have been drug related, according to WSMV 4.
Zavala will be expedited at a later time from Dallas to Nashville.
The story is developing. Check back for updates.
[Feature Photos via MNPD]
