A Chula Vista man whose body was found in a 55-gallon drum in San Diego Bay had previously been living as a roommate of the man who is now charged with his murder, according to testimony.
Testimony began Tuesday in the preliminary hearing of Timothy John Cook, 53, who is accused of killing Omar Medina, 28, a music producer whose family had filed a missing person’s report when he was last seen on Sept. 30, 2017. Flyers were posted in neighborhoods with his photo.
A diver discovered the white drum in the bay and initially thought it might contain harmful chemicals so he alerted police. More than two dozen police officers from different agencies responded on Oct. 12, 2017, when the barrel was discovered with a cinderblock that was attached to weigh it down.
Photos of the barrel and its contents were shown to Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sontag, who continued hearing testimony this week. A large hole had been drilled into the drum, apparently to allow water inside it. Also inside the barrel were a blanket, two towels, and a pillowcase that were wrapped around the body.
Cook is charged with murder and his friend, Derrick Jefferson Spurgeon, 38, of El Cajon, is accused of accessory after the fact in which he got his boat and helped dump the 55-gallon drum into the bay.
Chula Vista Police officers said Cook had already been contacted, but he had said he didn’t know where his roommate was.
The medical examiner’s office said Medina had been stabbed 66 times. Officer Manuel Salazar said the cause of death was from multiple sharp force injuries. He had been stabbed in the chest, back, torso, and head.
Photos of the residence in the 500 block of McIntosh Street in Chula Vista where both men lived were shown in court that showed an extensive remodeling had occurred in Medina’s bedroom as parts of the walls and flooring had been removed.
The kitchen sink was no longer there and parts of the kitchen floor had been removed, according to the photos. Cook had told officers the residence was being remodeled.
Officers searched Cook’s red Honda Accord, and found four trash bags containing belongings that smelled strongly of bleach.
Officer David Garber testified he took aerial photos from a sheriff’s department helicopter in East County on the property where Spurgeon lived. “We were looking for a fishing boat,” said Garber.
Garber said officers discovered a dismantled boat in a canvas shelter on Nov. 9 and it was believed used to dump the drum into the bay. Carpeting from the boat was recovered and it was impounded for DNA and fingerprint evidence, he said.
Cook and Spurgeon remain in jail. They have both pleaded not guilty. Spurgeon has been charged separately in two unrelated cases involving methamphetamine and kidnapping.
