Teen accused in Naples Manor murder told authorities victim stole, resold drugs, report says

A dispute over the alleged theft of cocaine led to the Naples Manor murder of 20-year-old Emily Ruiz, a new report states.

Gael Garcia-Castro, 18, faces charges of second-degree murder with a firearm and tampering with evidence in a criminal proceeding.

According to an arrest affidavit from the Collier County Sheriff's Office, sheriff's deputies responded to the 5300 block of Texas Avenue around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday to reports of shots fired.

When authorities arrived, Ruiz lay on the ground in the front yard of a home with a gunshot wound and died at Physicians Regional Medical Center in Naples.

The same day, hours after the slaying, authorities said they received an anonymous tip regarding a potential shooting witness.

Sheriff's deputies on Thursday reviewed security footage from throughout the neighborhood and noticed a second individual accompanied Garcia-Castro at the time of the killing.

The report identifies the individual accompanying Garcia- Castro as "Witness #1" and does not name him.

According to authorities, Ruiz received a text message from the witness, which indicated he was walking toward her residence prior to the shooting.

A 19-second phone call from the witness followed the text message, according to the report. The phone call came in about two minutes before the sound of a single gunshot. The report does not detail the topic of that phone call.

After the shooting, Garcia-Castro and the witness fled on foot, the report states.

Gael Garcia-Castro said he only tried 'to scare' Emily Ruiz

The witness told authorities he walked with Garcia-Castro to Ruiz's home to borrow her car.

The witness said that as he ran with Garcia-Castro after the shooting, Garcia-Castro said he only tried "to scare" Ruiz.

According to the witness, Garcia-Castro said Ruiz stealing cocaine to resell the drugs.

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Authorities said Garcia-Castro turned himself in at the Naples Jail Center on Saturday afternoon.

When a detective spoke with Garcia-Castro, he said he and the witness had walked to Ruiz's home after she agreed to drive them to get food.

According to the report, Ruiz gave her car keys to the witness while she began to walk back into her home.

The report indicates Garcia-Castro pointed the firearm at Ruiz several times before he pulled the trigger.

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After the gunshot, Garcia-Castro said he saw Ruiz fall. He said he then ran away out of fear, according to the report.

The report does not indicate where the bullet struck Ruiz.

Authorities said neither the witness nor Garcia-Castro rendered aid nor called for help.

The report states the pair ran to the witness' home, where they called an Uber and fled.

Garcia-Castro is next due in court March 24 for his arraignment. It remains unclear if the witness faces charges.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Collier sheriff: Cocaine dispute turned fatal in Naples Manor