A disturbing case that began with a body found outside a Charlotte home has ended with the victim’s 19-year-old nephew charged with murder. Charlotte Mecklenburg police say Christian Caraballo is accused of killing his uncle, 50-year-old Ernesto Caraballo Toledo, during a violent early morning fight on October 18.
Investigators have not revealed what sparked the confrontation between the two men, who were at a single-family home on Wembley Drive in east Charlotte. The killing took place around 2 a.m. in a neighborhood just south of Central Avenue.
According to the arrest warrant, officers arrived to find Toledo lying outside the house with severe head trauma. A broken stone paver was discovered shattered into two pieces nearby. Inside the home, detectives found signs of a struggle. “The furniture in the backyard was broken and overturned. Blood drops and handprints were located throughout the rear of the house, in the kitchen and the living room,” the warrant states.
An autopsy later showed that Toledo had also been strangled. The victim’s brother and sister in law, who live at the home, told police that Christian Caraballo came inside and told them “something had happened” and urged them to come outside. But investigators say the teen later offered a conflicting version of events.
“Christian had a different story where all three parties were inside, and the victim was outside by himself for about 5 minutes. Christian went to check on him and found him deceased,” the warrant states. Caraballo reportedly told police he “did not know how the blood got everywhere and did not know how the furniture got broken.”
Detectives also noted Caraballo had “numerous cuts to his hands and a possible injury to his ear” that he could not explain, raising further suspicion. Court records show an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer was signed on December 2, indicating Caraballo is not legally in the country.
The investigation is ongoing as the Mecklenburg County District Attorney prepares the case. Meanwhile, the quiet east Charlotte neighborhood where the attack happened is still grappling with the shock of a family dispute that turned deadly in the middle of the night.
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