A Florida man allegedly lured his former co-worker to a late-night birthday rendezvous with promises of romance during their affair – but investigators say the secret celebration ended in a violent killing.

Nearly a year and a half later, authorities say they have finally identified the man responsible for the brutal death of Linda Campitelli, a married mother who was found beaten to death in a parking lot in Palm Beach County.

Rene Perez, 38, was arrested Tuesday in Miami and charged with first-degree murder, use of a deadly weapon and tampering with evidence, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators allege Perez violently attacked Campitelli on October 28, 2024, after the pair met up to celebrate Campitelli’s birthday. Both were married at the time, and the duo who met while working at Wellington Regional Medical Center. They had been involved in an affair for about two years, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The New York Post.

WhatsApp messages between the two were revealed in the affidavit and appear to show Campitelli expressing uncertainty about their planned meet-up just a day before her murder.

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“I LOVE YOU, I FEEL KINDA WEIRD. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT TOMORROW. YOU’VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS FOR ME BEFORE AND I FEEL A LITTLE NERVOUS,” Campitelli wrote to Perez on WhatsApp, according to the court documents.

Perez responded: “LOL, IT’S NO BIG DEAL. JUST TRYING TO SHOW U THAT I CAN BE ROMANTIC. IT PROBABLY WONT BE AS GOOD AS WHAT YOUVE DONE FOR ME.”

On the night Campitelli was murder, she had left her house wearing a red dress and black heels, telling her husband, John, that she was meeting friends for dinner, investigators said.

Her Chevy Tahoe arrived was spotted on surveillance footage arriving at the Retina Group of Florida building in Wellington, where Perez had previously worked, at 9:59 p.m.

According to the affidavit, a photo that was found on Campitelli’s phone showed the back of Perez’s car. Investigators say he had laid down a blanket in his SUV that read, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOPE YOUR BIRTHDAY IS OUT OF THIS WORLD,” along with medical sheets used to control odor and moisture.

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Around 10:20 p.m., Campitelli’s battered body was discovered roughly 50 feet from the vehicle after several 911 callers reported seeing an unresponsive woman. She suffered severe blunt force trauma to her head and torso, four lacerations to her scalp and a fatal accumulation of blood inside her skull, according to court documents.

Detectives found large pools of blood leading from the passenger side of the Chevy Tahoe to Campitelli’s body. Investigators also documented postmortem markings, drag and scuff marks and severe road rash, suggesting she may have been dragged.

Bloodstains on the rear driver’s side door handle of the SUV appeared to have been partially wiped away, according to court records. Campitelli’s blood-soaked Apple Watch was later found inside the vehicle’s center console.

“It appears the victim’s watch was taken off her wrist, after the victim was violently attacked and injured,” the affidavit said.

Later that night, surveillance cameras captured Perez walking toward his previous workplace at Delray Medical Center and throwing away an item in the trash.

Perez initially told detectives he had canceled the planned meetup with Campitelli because his son was sick, but authorities say text messages contradicted that claim.

Capt. Michael Ott with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Division told WPTV that investigators interviewed “countless” witnesses, wrote more than 50 search warrants and analyzed “hundreds and hundreds” of pieces of cellphone data while building the case.

Campitelli’s mother, Edina Russo, thanked detectives for continuing to pursue the case saying: “There’s a million emotions. I’m obviously always sad but there’s a sense of closure.”

Perez appeared in court Wednesday and was ordered to be held without bond. He remains at the Palm Beach County Jail.