Left inset: Olson Jean. Right inset: Wendy Moncion (St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The semi-truck where Olson Jean allegedly stashed the body of his cousin, Wendy Moncion, after shooting him in the head (WPEC/YouTube).
A truck driver from Florida, who was spotted acting erratically on a roadway—witnesses noted he was lying down and rolling around—has been identified by authorities as a murderer. Police revealed that the driver had killed his cousin and hidden the victim’s body in a compartment beneath the truck’s sleeper cab.
“He basically just stated he was taking a breather,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro explained to reporters at a press conference Tuesday about Olson Jean, 41, who is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Wendy Moncion, 32.
While officers were engaging with the man, identified as Jean, they discovered an unattended 2020 Freightliner semi-truck nearby. They questioned Jean about his connection to the vehicle.
“Initially, he denied any ownership of the truck,” said Del Toro. “However, it was later confirmed that the truck was registered to an LLC. Upon contacting the business owner, we learned the vehicle was leased to Jean. His initial denial was a blatant lie,” Del Toro added.
During the interaction, Jean reportedly mentioned, “I drive a waste management tractor,” and attempted to distance himself from the officers. When questioned about his whereabouts, he vaguely indicated he had been jogging, gesturing in a circular motion towards the north, and when asked where he resided, he enigmatically pointed behind himself saying, “On the other side.”
Authorities decided to inspect the semi-truck more thoroughly and noticed bloodstains on its exterior, Del Toro stated. A search warrant was obtained, leading to the discovery of further incriminating evidence within the vehicle, the sheriff reported.
“There was blood everywhere,” Del Toro informed reporters.
Deputies canvassed the area and recovered a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 rifle, a Springfield Hellcat handgun, and handgun magazines matching the Springfield handgun. The firearms and magazines were located near a canal and appeared to have been “intentionally placed there,” according to Del Toro.
Inside the truck, cops found a body that was later identified as Moncion, of Coconut Creek. He was confirmed to be Jean’s cousin by family.
“Inside a storage compartment, beneath the sleeper — the bed area in the back — deputies located [Moncion],” Del Toro said. “The medical examiner conducted an autopsy [and] determined the cause of death to be a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.”
Jean was taken into custody and police began probing the discovery as a homicide.
According to Del Toro, individuals related to Jean and Moncion told investigators that the two of them were riding together from Georgia to Florida. Jean allegedly expressed “safety concerns to family members about sleeping in his truck” during stops along the route to Florida, and Moncion was keeping him company.
“[Jean] was afraid, basically,” Del Toro explained. “According to the wife, [Jean] has been kind of paranoid lately. Acting kind of erratically. She expressed the fact that … they were going to maybe get some mental health treatment for him. So, we believe Mr. Moncion, his cousin, traveled to Georgia with the intent of accompanying him back here [to Florida], to just basically keep him company. And for whatever reason, he decided to kill our victim.”
Moncion’s last contact with family was on Jan. 15, according to Del Toro and Moncion’s relatives.
Jean was arrested and booked in the St. Lucie County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond. Police are still investigating what caused him to allegedly kill Moncion.
“It’s still under investigation,” Del Toro concluded.
