Florida Nurse Accused of Killing Colleague Linda Campitelli, Arrested 16 Months Later

Rene J. Perez, 38, a registered nurse from Hialeah, was arrested in Miami on March 10, 2026, and charged with first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the October 28, 2024 death of Linda Campitelli, 35, his coworker, affair partner, and the mother of two who left home that night in a red dress and black heels for what she believed was a birthday celebration.

Campitelli's body was found face down in the southbound lanes of Lyons Road in Palm Beach County around 10:18 p.m., approximately 50 feet from her abandoned Chevrolet Tahoe. Several 911 callers reported an unresponsive woman bleeding profusely from the mouth. Investigators determined her death was a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head and body. Significant bruising and severe road rash on her body indicated she had been dragged, and blood was found both inside the Tahoe and along the road.

The night before she died, Campitelli and Perez exchanged WhatsApp messages about a special birthday rendezvous. "I LOVE YOU, I FEEL KINDA WEIRD. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT TOMORROW," she wrote. "YOU'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS FOR ME BEFORE AND I FEEL A LITTLE NERVOUS." Perez replied, "LOL, ITS NO BIG DEAL. JUST TRYING TO SHOW U THAT I CAN BE ROMANTIC." Detectives also recovered an image from Campitelli's cell phone, timestamped approximately 8:12 p.m. on October 28, showing the back of the Tahoe decorated with a blanket reading "HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOPE YOUR BIRTHDAY IS OUT OF THIS WORLD."

Perez and Campitelli had worked together at Wellington Regional Medical Center and had been involved in a secret two-year affair. Both were married. Perez told investigators he never met with Campitelli that day and claimed he never left work, but surveillance footage undermined that account: it showed his vehicle leaving and returning roughly five hours later, and when he came back, he was wearing different shoes. Cellphone data and the WhatsApp exchange further contradicted his statements.

Perez was booked at Palm Beach County Jail on charges of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon and tampering with physical evidence. He appeared in court on March 11, 2026, and is being held without bond. If convicted, he faces life in prison or the death penalty.

A friend of Campitelli described her as "a beautiful soul who meant so much to the people who loved her," and expressed hope the arrest would help her family begin to find peace.