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No bond for man charged with murder in death of woman found in trunk

Jillian Kusznir, 22, found in trunk of abandoned car

PALM BAY, Fla. – Palm Bay police on Thursday arrested a man in connection with the death of a 22-year-old woman whose body was found in a trunk of an abandoned car earlier this week.

The woman, who police said suffered some type of obvious trauma before her remains were left in the car, was identified as Jillian Christine Kusznir. 

Police identified the suspect as Stephen Paul Warrington, 25. He is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and was given no bond at his first appearance Friday.

"I do find that you're a danger to the community," a Brevard County judge said to Warrington.

The move from the judge backs up new information from police how they say Kusznir was murdered.

Police say blood evidence related to Jillian was found scattered in Warrington's Palm Bay home, just a block from where Kusznir's body was found.

Police also say Warrington was identified to them by his mom's boyfriend, when he was captured on surveillance video leaving the car abandoned with Jillian's body stuffed in the trunk.

An autopsy says she died from sharp force injuries and blunt force trauma to the head.

Police were at the scene where the car was found near the intersection of Vienna Street and Norman Street interviewing neighbors.

"Our detectives have been working this case nonstop," said Commander John Resh with Palm Bay Police Department. "We will not stop until we give Jillian and her family the justice that she deserves. We will not stop, I promised Jillian's family, until we find out who did this."

Police were concentrating on a house on Van Loon Avenue, which is believed to be the last place Kusznir was seen and around the corner from where her body was discovered in an abandoned car.

“Through a search warrant that we executed today, a large quantity of physical evidence was discovered in the house that leads us to believe that Jillian was killed at that location,” Resh said.

When police were at the house on Thursday, they said a man and a woman were living at the home, but would not specify the relationship with the duo and Kusznir.

Tuesday, Palm Bay police and fire rescue personnel received a call from a business owner in the area about a suspicious vehicle just after 7 a.m. The silver car sat parked near the intersection of Vienna and Norman streets in the southeast section of the city, just east of Interstate 95.

The trunk was partly open and police found Kusznir's clothed body inside.

"Officers arrived on scene, they saw the trunk was ajar, they opened the trunk and found a woman's body inside," said Sgt. Michael Pusatere of the Palm Bay Police Department.

Police believe whatever happened to Kusznir, a 2011 graduate of Melbourne High School, took place at another location and she was then moved into the trunk and abandoned with the vehicle.

“It was not a random occurrence,” Resh said. “(Warrington) was not a stranger to her, she was not a stranger to him. We have initial information that make us believe they made arrangements to meet up."

Detectives are working to release surveillance footage that could show a man walking away from the parked car sometime around 5 p.m. Monday. Investigators are searching for the man seen in surveillance video.
Police said the vehicle was Kusznir's mother's.

According to public records, Kusznir has a history of arrests related to theft dating back to 2014.

Warrington was booked into the Brevard County Jail, where he is being held without bond.

His arraignment is scheduled for June 2.


About the Author
James Sparvero headshot

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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