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Italian Man Arrested By Melbourne Police, Charged With 2nd Degree Murder After Feb. 8 Homicide

By  //  March 3, 2016

charged with Second Degree Murder

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The Melbourne Police Department has made an arrest regarding the death of a man found unresponsive in a downtown parking lot after the Super Bowl on February 8, near the 800 block on East New Haven Ave in Melbourne, Florida, according to Commander Dan Lynch of the Melbourne Police Department. (BCSO Image)

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – The Melbourne Police Department has made an arrest regarding the death of a man found unresponsive in a downtown parking lot after the Super Bowl on February 8, near the 800 block on East New Haven Ave in Melbourne, Florida, according to Commander Dan Lynch of the Melbourne Police Department.

This afternoon, Melbourne Police detectives arrested 21-year-old Gianluca Massaro for the death of 53-year-old Kent Wilbanks. Wilbanks was found injured and unresponsive in the parking lot of a downtown restaurant in the early morning hours on February 8.

Wilbanks died later that day at Holmes Regional Medical Center from what medical examiners believe was blunt force trauma to his head, according to a release by the police department.

During the course of their investigation, detectives received information that Massaro had a confrontation with Wilbanks just after bars were closing on February 8.

That confrontation resulted in Massaro striking the victim multiple times in the head with his fists. Wilbanks was left unresponsive in the parking lot where officers soon tended to him after being alerted by passers-by, according to Commander Lynch.

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According to the Melbourne Police Department, the investigation further revealed possibly that Wilbanks made a sexual advance on Massaro and Massaro took offense to this action and struck him.

Massaro, an Italian national in the country on a visa, was arrested near his home in Indialantic.

The suspect is being charged with Second Degree Murder and will be taken to the Brevard County Jail with no bond.

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ABOVE MAP: The Melbourne Police Department has made an arrest regarding the death of a man found unresponsive in a downtown parking lot after the Super Bowl on February 8, near the 800 block on East New Haven Ave in Melbourne, Florida, according to Commander Dan Lynch of the Melbourne Police Department.