Suspect accused of planning Orange County teen's death 3 days prior to her disappearance

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Newly released documents suggest an Orange County man planned to kill his girlfriend’s daughter three days before she was found dead in a wooded area in Osceola County.

Authorities believe 43-year-old Sanel Saint Simon took days to plan the killing of 16-year-old Alexandria Chery.

According to the new reports from investigators, Saint Simon wanted it to look like Chery ran away from home. The new discovery shows Saint Simon suggested to authorities that Chery might have moved in with some friends, but investigators said that was one of the many lies he's accused of telling them.

Investigators said Saint Simon borrowed his cousin’s car and parked it near his job the day before Chery’s disappearance in August.

Chery’s mother came home the day her daughter disappeared to find a blood-stained teddy bear in the girl’s room and the smell of bleach.

The investigation details alleges Saint Simon lied to detectives about leaving work early the day the teenager was last seen, and he was heard speaking in Creole to a family member and asking them to lie to investigators about borrowing the car.

The evidence also shows Saint Simon and Chery’s cellphones were in the same location hours before her mother reported her missing.

When investigators asked to go through Saint Simon’s phone, they said he had wiped it clean of all information.

Through interviews with Chery’s best friend and boyfriend, investigators learned she told them Saint Simon had done something to her she didn’t like and made her uncomfortable, but the exact details of what happened are redacted from the paperwork.

Investigators said they found a hacksaw, knife, stocking cap and gloves in the car Saint Simon had been driving the day before the teen disappeared, and DNA from Chery also matched the blood found on Saint Simon’s clothes and in the car he had borrowed.

Saint Simon denies any involvement and continues to be held in the Orange County Jail.

Cox Media Group