December 09, 2008
FORSYTH COUNTY - Forsyth County investigators have confirmed that 49-year-old Guillermo Lira, who was found dead in a home on Ga. 9 Nov. 24, was a victim in an Oct. 10 robbery at a purported house of prostitution also on Ga. 9.
Capt. Paul Taylor of the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said Lira's body, which was found by friends and family face down in a pool of blood, feet bound with rope, was in a different home on Ga. 9 than the one involved in the earlier crime. "That house is near Bethelview Road," said Taylor. "This one is much farther south."
Taylor said initial indications are that Lira died from blunt force trauma. The initial incident report notes investigators noticed several bruises to his back upon finding the body.
Deputies were familiar with Lira because of the early incident. In that crime, five men, including Lira, were robbed by a truckload of masked men armed with guns and baseball bats at the home he rented.
Investigators classified it as a "house of prostitution," but did not charge him with any such crimes, instead focusing on finding the five to six masked suspects and their black Ford Expedition.
Lira was beaten by the gang, but refused to be taken to the hospital. Taylor said he was "uncooperative" throughout the investigation and would not comment on whether the two crimes are linked.
"Obviously, that is part of our investigation," he said.
The other four men who were robbed - including two brothers and two roommates all in their 20s - initially told police they had come to the home after being kidnapped.
The men said they were at the AMC movie theatres at the Avenue Forsyth when the suspects who robbed them pulled up, captured them and took them to the house.
After some questioning, the men reportedly admitted they had gone to the house for other activities, and just happened to be there when the robbery went down. They were not hurt in the crime.
"We've put a lot of man hours into this case," said Taylor. "But our leads and interviews have not developed into a specific suspect or suspects."
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