2 men charged in death of teen whose body was found in Hilton Head mall parking lot
Two men have been charged in the death of a man whose body was found in the parking lot of a Hilton Head shopping center in November, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Nayquan Gadson, 20, of Hardeeville, was charged Friday with murder, armed robbery and possession of a firearm during a violent crime. He is in custody of the Chatham County Police Department and will be transported to Beaufort County following an extradition hearing.
Christopher Escobedo, 19, of Hilton Head, was charged Thursday afternoon as an accessory to the murder and with possession of a stolen vehicle, jail records show. The stolen vehicle charge is unrelated to the killing, according to Maj. Angela Viens, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Breiner Daniel Puerta Gonzalez, 19, of Bogota, Colombia, was found shot to death in the early hours of Nov. 15, according to previous reporting from The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. His body was in the parking lot of the Northridge Plaza off of William Hilton Parkway, home to the Northridge Cinema 10, the largest movie theater on the island.
The murder occurred while the two suspects were attempting to rob Puerta Gonzalez outside of the shopping center. Puerta Gonzalez was on a video chat with a friend at the onset of the incident, but his phone died during the struggle with the two men, Viens said.
Gadson was armed at the time of the robbery, but Viens declined to comment whether Escobedo had a weapon during the incident.
Escobedo is being charged as an accessory to the murder but police do not yet know whether he played a decisive role in the killing of Puerta Gonzalez, Viens said. As investigators sift through additional evidence, Escobedo’s charges may be elevated.
Police believe the murder was the result of a random encounter, and that Gadson and Puerta Gonzalez did not know each other prior to the incident, Viens said. No others are thought to have been involved in the crime.
Escobedo is being held on $11,000 bond.
This story was originally published December 9, 2022 at 3:22 PM.
