Orange County man found guilty in kidnapping, robbery and murder plot

An Orange County man faces life in prison without possibility of parole after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder.

Andres Robayo Cardenas, 23, received the verdict Tuesday after a seven-day trial, according to a news release from the State Attorney’s Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit.

Cardenas met the victim, an acquaintance named Jack Crane, on May 14, 2019, at a restaurant on Narcoossee Road, the news release stated. He drove Crane to an Airbnb in Polk County, where he and his accomplices pre-arranged a plan to beat and rob Crane.

Cardenas and his accomplices stuffed Crane into the trunk of a vehicle, drove to a secluded wooded area then shot and killed him, according to the news release. They left Crane in the wooded area and authorities never recovered his body.

The Orlando Police Department and members of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement worked together to identify Cardenas and his accomplices.

Cardenas’ sentencing is set for July 12.