Renato Muhaj: Man accused of killing ex using knife and brass knuckles before kidnapping their daughter
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA: A Clearwater man accused of kidnapping his 8-year-old daughter on Monday, January 29 killed her mother with a knife and brass knuckles as the little girl watched the entire scene as per documents stated by Tampa Bay.
According to the Largo Police Department, at approximately 3:15 a.m. on Monday, police from the Clearwater Police Department called to help locate 34-year-old Renato Muhaj, who was reportedly the subject of a criminal violence case.
Renato Muhaj killed his ex-girlfriend with knife and brass knuckles
When officers arrived at the scene on Clearwater Largo Road North, they discovered that Muhaj's ex-girlfriend Suela Saliaj was dead, and her 8-year-old daughter was missing.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Fox 13 in Tampa, police found blood outside of Saliaj’s apartment, along with a knife and blood-covered brass knuckles.
According to the authorities, Saliaj had a slit throat and was discovered covered in blood. The 8-year-old girl was the subject of an instant Amber Alert, and the two police agencies, in conjunction with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), coordinated efforts to locate the child.
Muhaj was located several hours later in his vehicle near St Paul’s Drive and taken into custody. The 8-year-old girl, who is his daughter, was also located and recovered without injury, police said.
Police said the incident began at about 2:30 a.m. when Muhaj assaulted both of his parents and threatened them with a machete as they closed their eyes and held each other, fearing for their lives.
Although one person managed to escape and contact the police, Muhaj is said to have taken his parents' telephones during the ordeal, preventing them from calling for assistance.
According to the station, the affidavit states that the youngster informed police she witnessed Muhaj repeatedly strike Saliaj in the bedroom with the knife and brass knuckles.
'I really wanted her to die'
The eight-year-old daughter of Muhaj also told police, according to the affidavit, that she knew Saliaj was dead and asked Muhaj, "Why would you do that?"
She said he replied that he "really wanted her to die."
The affidavit claims that Muhaj took the girl from the apartment, hurried her down the stairs, and forced her to fall after killing Saliaj. The girl informed authorities that to force her into the car, he had dragged her across the concrete, causing her to sustain bruises and abrasions.
Muhaj was accused of four more crimes in addition to first-degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, abusing children, and interfering with a witness. The Pinellas County Jail is where he is being kept at the moment.
