Interview transcript reveals weight was used to kill Detroit firefighter

David Madrigal was beaten to death in his home on Vaughn Street

DETROIT – Court testimony has revealed that a weight plate was used to deliver the blows that killed Detroit firefighter David Madrigal.

Detroit Police homicide Sgt. Lance Sullivan read a transcript Wednesday of an interview with defendant Timmy Soto, where he said, "The flashbacks made me snap."

Soto said he was at Madrigal's home on Vaughn Street in December when Madrigal started "rubbing" on his friend, co-defendant Nichole O'Neill, according to the interview transcript.

Soto said he started having memories of when his step-father touched his sister and it set him off, according to the interview transcript. Soto allegedly hit Madrigal in the head with the weight. A medical examiner has said blunt force trauma was the cause of death for Madrigal.

Soto, O'Neill and a third defendant, Christian Rasnick, are charged with felony murder, armed robbery, arson and larceny in connection with David Madrigal's death.

The three are accused of stealing a safe and guns from Madrigal's home, and his SUV.

A judge will decide whether to send them to trial after hearing testimony, which will continue later this month.

Madrigal's son, also David, testified in a previous hearing that he went to check on his father on Dec. 21 in his home after not hearing from him.

Once inside the home, the younger Madrigal said he found his 59-year-old father in a recliner with blood on his face.

“He was ice cold,” Madrigal Jr. said.

He told the court his father had been going through some depression, and that his first thought was that he had shot himself. He said he soon realized that there wasn’t a gun and noticed things were missing, including a safe, from the home.

An upstairs bedroom had been ransacked.

Madrigal was known as "Super Dave," by his colleagues at Engine 33. He had been a firefighter for 24 years.

His family gave this statement to Local 4: "Huge thank you to my family's extended family of Detroit fire and Detroit police for making this whole nightmare somewhat more tolerable. When I found my father, I was promised that this would not be a cold case. I would especially like to thank Det. Sullivan for his determination in solving this case." 

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