COCOA — The man suspected in a Cocoa motel homicide turned himself over to police and was arrested in Georgia the day after his 19th birthday, police reported Monday.
Joshua Reece Wilson Keravuori, the subject of a nationwide manhunt, was taken into custody about 9 a.m. Monday in Alpharetta, just north of Atlanta. The Maryland man told a MARTA bus driver that there was a warrant for him and that he wanted to turn himself in.
“The bus driver immediately called the police, and the suspect was taken into custody,” Cocoa Police Department spokeswoman Yvonne Martinez said.
Local police in Alpharetta told 11Alive it was a strange case.
"I think I've heard of three cases where we've had people turn themselves in for murder," said Alpharetta Police officer Jason Muenzer.
Detectives say Keravuori knew he was the subject of an intense search.
"I do believe he may have been feeling the pressure from all the publicity we've been able to receive and the other agencies that have been able to help us with the investigation," Detective Ron McCarron said.
Keravuori was arrested and charged with grand theft auto in relation to the victim's stolen car. Other charges are pending the outcome of an investigation. Once the investigation is completed, the state attorney's office is expected to press charges, including murder, officials said.
Police said Keravuori was seen about 11 a.m. Feb. 6 checking into the Dixie Motel, 301 Forrest Ave., Cocoa. Investigators said Keravuori was with 65-year-old Terry Hilliard, both of whom had been visiting the area to watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch.
"(Keravuori) was hitchhiking and the victim picked him up. That's our best understanding so far," Martinez said.
Hilliard’s body was discovered in the motel room the next morning. Investigators said Keravuori had left the motel in Hilliard’s black Chevy Cruz. The vehicle was later found in Hialeah the same day.
Keravuori was believed to be hitchhiking across the country to make his way to Florida for the launch, working odd jobs to fund his travels, McCarron said. He had originally been headed to the Miami area to seek a job, according to McCarron.
Police have not released the cause of death of the victim or a possible motivation behind the killing, though a police report lists the murder as a possible hate crime. Blood was found in the motel room, police reported.
Cocoa detectives located surveillance video showing Keravuori at a gas station in Hialeah. Before he was identified as the suspect, police say Keravuori flew to Maryland where he briefly stayed with his mother. She was unaware that he was a person of interest in a murder investigation, police said.
Nationwide alerts were also issued and the case was featured on the "Live PD" TV show.
“We are grateful to our media partners for getting the word out, which yielded numerous leads,” said Sgt. Doug Levine of the criminal investigations division. “Our entire agency worked tirelessly on this case. The cooperation with state and federal agencies played a significant role in our ability to safely bring this suspect in.”
Karavuori is expected to be extradited from Alpharetta to Brevard County.
"Once we get to speak to him, we can answer some questions we would like to answer and finish the investigation," McCarron said. "We believe Mr. Karavuori can answer a lot of the questions that need to need to be answered and, quite possibly, might be the only person who can answer them."
Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez
