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On September 24, 2021, Erika Verdecia, a single mother, left her Broward County home and never returned back. She was reported missing four days later. Erika was last spotted with a convicted murderer named Eric Pierson out on supervised release at the time. Her body was found in a canal in Davie after authorities received a tip and all signs led them to the felon.
Pierson was reportedly out on supervised release from prison after serving 27 years of a 40-year sentence for a 1993 beating and strangulation killing of 17-year-old Kristina Whitaker in Davie. He was released because his sentence expired in conformity with the laws in effect at the time his crime was committed.
The upcoming episode of Evil Lives Here: Shadows of Death on ID will recount the chilling details of how the untimely release of convicted murderer Eric Pierson led to the stabbing death of 33-year-old Erika Verdecia. The episode, titled Free to Kill Again, will air on Sunday, October 14, 2022, at 9 pm ET.
The synopsis reads:
"Erika Verdecia's family launches its own search when the 33-year-old goes missing in 2021, and the homegrown investigation uncovers a tragic trail of bloodshed 36 years in the making."
How did authorities find Erika Verdecia's body and killer?
According to sources, one of Erika Verdecia's friends told her mother Carmen that they last saw the single mother-of-one with Eric Pierson. She learned that Eric was a convicted murderer in the killing of one woman in 1993 and was also imprisoned for assaulting another in 1985. Carmen Verdecia reportedly told NBC:
"I flipped out. I told [the police] my daughter was seen with a killer. And then they started looking for her. But it was too late."
Pierson was interrogated multiple times after the findings and his accounts of his time with Verdecia always had discrepancies. Moreover, cops found blood in the back seat of his car and a tip from his girlfriend led authorities to believe he was behind the disappearance.
Three weeks later, divers found Erika's body in a canal in Davie near the girlfriend's home.
Erika Verdecia's killer Eric Pierson had been convicted twice in connection with attacks on women
Authorities soon discovered that Eric Pierson had previously been convicted twice in connection with attacks on women. He reportedly broke into a woman's home and slashed her neck in 1985 and was found guilty of first-degree attempted murder. He was given an 18-year jail sentence but was released after barely serving four years behind bars.
Then, in 1993, Eric went on to assault and strangle a 17-year-old Davie girl, Kristina Whitaker, and reportedly left her body at a construction site. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 40-year jail term.
At the time, Roxanne Grimstead, Whitaker's mother, was shocked to discover that Pierson had only completed four years of an 18-year sentence for the attempted murder case. In a 1993 interview, Grimstead reportedly said:
"You can sit and look at the papers and look at his background and let him out. This is incredible."
Pierson was released from jail on supervised release after serving less than about 27 years in 2021 only to commit another murder within months. After the crucial discovery of Erika Verdecia's body, the convicted felon confessed to stabbing her twice in the neck and once in each eye before dumping the body in the canal.
The Sunrise Police Department wrote in a tweet:
"We now have in custody Eric Pierson, who has confessed to the murder of Erika Verdecia. Although this tragic news does not bring Erika back to her family and friends, we hope that it can bring some closure to her loved ones."
He once again entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to life in prison.
Tune in to ID's Evil Lives Here: Shadows of Death this Sunday, October 16, 2022, to learn more about Erika Verdecia's murder case.
