Report: MMA vets Vila, Gandulla allegedly involved in 2011 murder
MMA veterans Alexis Vila and Ariel Gandulla are facing charges for their alleged involvement in the 2011 kidnapping and murder of a man in Florida, according to an affidavit MMA Fighting's Marc Raimondi obtained from the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's office on Thursday.
Both men are reportedly being charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit murder.
Vila was arrested on April 17 and is currently being held at Miami's Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond and with a pending immigration hold, while Roberto Isaac - another man alleged to have been involved - was arrested on April 11 and has been detained at Metro West Detention Center, also in Miami. Gandulla's status is unknown.
Gandulla and Isaac are believed by police to have kidnapped victim Camilo Salazar for Vila and Manuel Marin - whose wife Jenny was involved in an affair with Salazar - on June 1, 2011.
Cell phone records reportedly revealed Vila, Marin, Gandulla, and Isaac had been in contact throughout the day, with police believing Marin later joined Gandulla and Isaac at the presumed site of Salazar's death. According to the affidavit, Salazar's burning body was found on the side of a Miami-Dade County road that same night, with his hands bound. The ensuing autopsy revealed multiple blunt force wounds to the head, a slit throat, and burns to the pelvic area.
The affidavit also claims a fingerprint of Gandulla's was found on Salazar's car.
Vila was reportedly in Las Vegas that day, although police suspect he's the link between Marin, Gandulla, and Isaac. He and Gandulla have reportedly known each other for years, with the latter having served as a cornerman for Vila's fights in the past. Vila met Isaac in 2007 following a three-year stint in prison for driving into a terminal at Fort Lauderdale airport. Gandulla reportedly told police he avoided Isaac over his alleged ties to the Latin Kings, and both he and Isaac claim they didn't know Marin.
Marin and Vila have known each other since 1993. Per the affidavit, the former aided the latter's move to the United States following his defection to Puerto Rico from their native Cuba, gave Vila work, and helped him found a wrestling academy. Marin left his wife and two children for Europe following the murder - to avoid charges, police believe - and hasn't returned stateside since.
Vila, 47, made his Bellator debut months after Salazar's death and most recently competed under the Titan FC banner in August 2016. Gandulla twice fought in the WEC in 2007 and hasn't taken the cage since 2015. His pro record sits at 7-9.