Orlando man convicted in 2019 robbery, murder of man whose body was never found

An Orlando man is headed to prison for murder.

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An Orange County Jury found 23-year-old Andres Cardenas guilty Monday for his role in the 2019 murder of then 22-year-old Jack Crane.

Investigators say Crane and Cardenas, who were known to each other, met at a restaurant on Narcoossee Road on May 14, 2019.

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According to police, Cardenas drove Crane to an Airbnb in Polk County, where he and a group of accomplices robbed and beat Crane as part of a pre-arranged plan.

After the robbery, investigators say Cardenas and his accomplices put Crane in the truck of Cardenas’ car.

Cardenas then drove the car to a wooded area where he dragged Crane out of the trunk and fatally shot him.

Investigators say Crane’s body was left in the woods and has never been recovered. Crane was reported missing on May 20, 2019.

Cell phone records eventually led investigators to Crane’s red Ford Focus, parked at a Zaxby’s restaurant on Narcoossee Road.

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Staff members at the Zaxby’s told investigators the car had been there for several weeks.

Surveillance video showed Crane parking it there just before 6 p.m. on May 14, 2019.

The video then shows a red Ford Mustang park near Crane’s Focus before Crane and the driver of the Mustang enter the restaurant together.

Investigators used bank records and other digital evidence to identify the man going into the restaurant with Crane as Andres Cardenas.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement assisted the Orlando Police Department with identifying Cardenas and his accomplices in the murder.

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After a week-long trial, a jury found Cardenas guilty Monday of first-degree murder. He faces a sentence of up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Cardenas’ sentencing has been scheduled for July 12.

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