Police said they couldn’t believe it when they found the murder plan written on a piece of paper at their prime suspect’s home. 7 Patrick De La Certa was engaged to Jessica Devnani when he was horrifically shot at his homeCredit: Jessica Devnani 7 Investigators identified Devnani’s jealous ex-boyfriend as a suspect Credit: Jessica Devnani 7 The killer was apparently “waiting” for De La Cerda to walk outside the front door of his home when he was killed, investigators saidCredit: Seventh Circuit – State Attorney’s Office 7 After obtaining a search warrant for his ex-boyfriend Gregory Bender’s home, investigators immediately found a key piece of evidence Credit: Seventh Circuit Court – Prosecutor 7 Bender put notes detailing a murder in his office wastebasket, detectives saidCredit: Seventh Circuit – Prosecutor Patrick De La Cerda was ambushed and shot four times at the front door of his home in Deltona, Florida in February 2018. The killer was “waiting” outside when De La Cerda came to the door expecting to receive a package containing his fiancee’s engagement ring, according to Detective Chad Weaver. “You could see the front door was open, there was glass everywhere,” the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office official said. He said he thought the case would be a “unit,” but surprisingly, it didn’t take long for them to identify a suspect. De La Cerda’s fiancee, Jessica Devnani, immediately pointed out her jealous ex-boyfriend Gregory Bender to investigators. Devnani said Bender had been tormenting the couple for months with threatening voicemails and text messages. It got so bad that Devnani reported Bender to a judge, who then issued a restraining order against him, ending the threats for a few months, CBS News reported. This was short-lived, however, and Devnani was shocked to receive a phone call from Bender on the morning of 27 February 2018. He didn’t get the call, but he knew right away that something was wrong. Devnani then rushed to check on De La Cerda and found him tragically shot in his home. Following Devnani’s tip, Weaver began searching for more information that could lead to Bender’s arrest. The suspect’s ex-wife, who was still married to Bender during his tryst with Devnani, gave Weaver incriminating information that led detectives to obtain a search warrant. Daymara Sanchez met Weaver at a public park, where she appeared to be very nervous, the investigator said. She said reports of De La Cerda’s killing reminded her of some disturbing notes she saw in a notebook belonging to Bender. The suspect’s ex-wife told Weaver that the notebook contained disturbing plans for a murder, which Bender told her was just a “fantasy.” However, the chilling similarities between Bender’s “fantasy” and De La Cerda’s death gave detectives probable cause to search their suspect’s home. On February 28, 2018, Weaver and a team of investigators entered Bender’s home and were shocked by what they found. Almost immediately, Weaver located the pages of the notebook Sanchez described to him – in the wastebasket of Bender’s office. “I was in shock,” Weaver said. “There’s no way we’ll discover this assassination plan.” But upon further examination, they found Bender’s exact plan stripped of almost all elements except the plan itself. The entries included De La Cerda’s address, sketches of his property and information on how to enter and exit the premises undetected. “Discard clothing, plate, tracker, gloves,” the notes said, according to CBS News. Those pages, along with Sanchez and Devnani’s testimony and ammunition and a shell that matched those found at the crime scene, provided a clear indication of who murdered De La Cerda. On May 28, 2021, Bender was found guilty of first degree murder. He is now serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. CBS News noted that the killer’s fate was “determined by the truths of the women he deceived, justice for a jealous killing and his neglect to empty his trash.” The case will be analyzed in the 48-hour episode The Ring: The Murder of Patrick De La Cerda on Saturday, July 9 at 10:00 p.m. 7 Between the pages of the notebook and the testimony of Bender’s exes, he was found guilty of murdering De La CerdaCredit: Jessica Devnani 7 In 2021, Bender was convicted of first degree murder and is serving life in prison without the possibility of paroleCredit: Jessica Devnani
