Mom’s cell phone links suspect to Lakewood Ranch slaying, cops say

The cell phone belonging to the mother of one of the two suspects in the death of 23-year-old Alex Cherp earlier this month links him to the crime, according to a probable cause affidavit from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Cherp was found with upper body gunshot wounds outside of his silver Mercedes in the early hours of Feb. 5 in Greenbrook Park by an on-duty security guard. He later died from his wounds.

According to the affidavit, Cherp was in contact six times with a phone number that belonged to 17-year-old Alan Baily’s mother between 8:56 p.m. and 10:48 p.m. on Feb. 4.

Law enforcement interviewed Cherp’s girlfriend, who said the 23-year-old used to buy marijuana from a man named “Alan,” according to the affidavit.

The second suspect in the death, Jose Hernandez, 19, was arrested early Saturday, but Baily, 17, remains at large.

Baily’s parents live less than a half mile from the park where Cherp was shot. When detectives arrived the next morning, they spoke with Baily and his parents.

The 17-year-old said he had met Cherp and his girlfriend at the beach, but said the most recent time he saw him was a few nights prior.

When a detective read Baily his Miranda rights, though, his story changed, according to the affidavit. Baily then said he tried getting in touch with Cherp, using his mother’s phone that night.

Throughout the interview, Baily averted his gaze and was shaking, according to the affidavit. As a detective left to obtain a search warrant for the cell phone, Baily’s father asked the 17-year-old which of his friends was at their house the previous night. Baily said Jose Hernandez.

A search of Cherp’s silver 2012 Mercedes C63 on Feb. 6 found a .40-caliber shell in the backseat. Detectives believe that based on the trajectory of the bullet, the shooter was sitting in the backseat on the passenger side. According to the affidavit, an analysis of the fingerprints in the car showed a match to Baily’s right hand on the inside front passenger-side door, and a left thumb print on the inside handle of the passenger-side backseat matched Hernandez.

In a post-Miranda interview with Hernandez, the 19-year-old said he and Baily knew each other for five or six years, and that Cherp was Baily’s friend but he himself had been in the backseat of Cherp’s Mercedes three weeks prior. According to the affidavit, Hernandez also told detectives his girlfriend dropped him off at Baily’s house around 9 p.m. and picked up him up around 11 p.m.

He also denied shooting or robbing Cherp, and said that neither he nor Baily had seen the 23-year-old that night.

As a detective interviewed Hernandez’s girlfriend in the sheriff’s office cruiser parked in the driveway, Hernandez paced back and forth and stared at them, according to the affidavit.

At first, the girlfriend said she picked up Hernandez at 10:20 p.m. that night. Then, saying that Hernandez had told her to say that time to police, the girlfriend referenced her text messages and said she actually picked him up some time around 12:12 a.m.

In a later interview with Hernandez’s girlfriend, detectives would learn that she gave the 19-year-old her ex-husband’s semi-automatic handgun. She wanted him to sell it and give the cash to her. He said the gun was gone, according to the affidavit. Detectives found out from the ex-husband that the gun was a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson.

An analysis of Baily’s mother’s phone determined that during the same possible hours that Cherp was murdered, the cell phone was in the area of Greenbrook Park.

A detective also interviewed an unnamed witness who said they were around Baily when he said he was having “a mental breakdown,” according to the affidavit.

“I can’t take this, I can’t take this, and they are going to get me,” the witness had said Baily said.

The witness said Baily said Hernandez was planning to rob a man named “Alex” and that Hernandez shot Cherp in the head, telling Baily to “finish him off,” according to the affidavit.

Detectives arrested Jose Hernandez on Feb. 17 on a murder and armed robbery charge. Baily faces identical charges.

Anyone with information on Baily’s whereabouts can call the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at 941-747-3011 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 866-634-8477 or going online at www.manateecrimestoppers.com.

This story was originally published February 20, 2017 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Mom’s cell phone links suspect to Lakewood Ranch slaying, cops say."