Suspect in Skyway Fishing Pier murder case arrested by police in 2022

MANATEE COUNTY, FL – A suspect wanted in connection with the 2022 death of a man whose body was found on the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier was arrested by police Monday.

Alex Martinez, 34, was tracked down and arrested in Plant City by the U.S. Marshals Task Force, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. He was taken into custody nearly two years after Diomicio Primitivo Ibarra-Hernandez, 26, was shot and killed during a drug deal at the Sunshine Skyway South Fishing Pier.

Martinez faces several charges, including murder, failure to appear and giving false information to police. Martinez is currently being held in Hillsborough County and is expected to be extradited to Manatee County at a later date, police said.

According to investigators, Martinez had arranged to meet Ibarra-Hernandez at the pier to purchase a large quantity of marijuana. During the transaction, police say Martinez fired several shots at Ibarra-Hernandez.