2 Men Accused of Scamming, Killing Elderly Man Whose Remains Were Found in Fla. Backyard

Two men are accused of swindling an elderly Florida man out of large amounts of money before killing him and dismembering his body, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office press release. 

Joseph Romano, 71, was reported missing on January 16. Police later realized that a man named Joseph Schiliro, 45, was trying to pick up Romano’s mail from the apartment complex where he lived, per the release. 

Investigating further, detectives found that large sums of money were allegedly being transferred from Romano’s accounts into accounts connected to Schiliro — and another suspect, Silviano Christman, was with Schiliro during that time. Christman had flown to Tampa from New York on Jan. 3.

Romano’s dismembered body was later found buried in Schiliro’s backyard in Valrico, Florida, on February 13, the release states. 

“This is a horrific case where an elderly individual was taken advantage of, and ultimately, he lost his life to two suspects who committed a heinous crime,” Caitlin Wilson of HCSO told Fox 13 News.

It’s unclear how Christman, Schiliro, and the victim knew each other.

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Christman was arrested by the New York Police Department Regional Fugitive Task Force on February 20, and the U.S. Marshals arrested Schiliro in Pinellas County the following day.

“The actions of these two men are despicable and deeply disturbing. Through deceit and violence, they exploited and took the life of another individual,” Sheriff Chad Chronister alleged in a statement. “Thanks to the determined efforts of our detectives and law enforcement partners, they are both now behind bars. We remain committed to seeking justice for the victim and his loved ones.”

Both men have been charged with premeditated first-degree murder, along with conspiracy to commit premeditated first-degree murder, burglary with battery, and fraudulent use of personally identifiable information of a deceased person. Each man also faces varying additional charges. 

Christman is currently being held in a New York City prison and Schiliro is being held in a Pinellas County Jail.

The investigation remains active.