20-119 Detectives Arrest Indian Rocks Beach Man For Fatally Shooting His Friend
Homicide Investigation
Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
Investigative Operations Bureau
-Robbery/Homicide Unit
Forensic Science Division
Jose Ruben Mayorga Ruana (victim-deceased)
DOB: 10/31/1984
Address: 483 39th Avenue North, St. Petersburg
Justin William Miller (suspect-arrested)
DOB: 01/14/1980
Address: 1214 Bay Pines Boulevard, Indian Rocks Beach
What:
Detectives assigned to the Robbery/Homicide Unit are conducting a homicide investigation.
When:
Deputies responded to a residence in Indian Rocks Beach at approximately 4:44 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, 2020.
Where:
The suspect’s home address at 1214 Bay Pines Boulevard in Indian Rocks Beach.
Why/How:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting at 1214 Bay Pines Boulevard in Indian Rocks Beach and discovered 35 year-old Jose Ruana deceased inside the residence from a gunshot wound.
Detectives say the homeowner, 40-year-old Justin Miller and Ruana were friends and had been drinking together at a bar earlier that evening.
Detectives determined after drinking, the two men returned to Miller’s home after midnight. At some point, Miller thought there was an unknown intruder in his home and shot the subject in his living room. Detectives say afterwards the subject was identified as his friend, Ruana.
Through the course of the investigation, detectives determined there was no evidence of a burglary or an intruder at the residence.
Miller was arrested and charged with one count of Manslaughter.
Miller was transported to the Pinellas County Jail without incident.
The investigation continues.
