Pair found in life raft suspected of killing charter boat crew

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Two men found last week in a life raft in the Florida Straits are suspected of having murdered the crew of the boat they chartered and then attempting to seek refuge in Cuba.

The bodies of the four crew members have not been found, but "it's obvious there is circumstantial evidence that four homicides took place here," Magistrate William Turnoff said.

The two suspects-- Kirby Archer, 34, and Guillermo Zarabozo, 19, -- were denied bond Tuesday. The magistrate ruled they are a danger to the community and flight risks.

Missing are the boat's captain, Jake Branam; his wife, Kelly; and crew members Scott Campbell and Sammy Cary.

"Your theory is they killed the four?" Turnoff asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gilfarb at a bond hearing Tuesday.

"Yes, your honor," Gilfarb replied.

During the hearing, details emerged about the alleged hijacking of the 47-foot Joe Cool.

The U.S. Coast Guard found the abandoned vessel about 160 miles south of the island of Bimini on September 23. It was unmanned, and its contents were in disarray. Zarabozo and Archer were found a few hours later on a life raft 10 miles away.

Zarabozo told a Coast Guard agent that three armed Cuban men hijacked the boat as it was headed toward Bimini for a one-day trip.

Once aboard, one of the men approached the bridge, where Zarabozo was with Jake Branam, Zarabozo said. The captain and the Cuban got into a shoving match, and the hijacker shot the captain with what Zarabozo said he thought was a Glock 9 mm semiautomatic handgun.

The captain's wife then became hysterical, and she too was shot, Zarabozo said.

The other two crew members were shot for refusing to throw the bodies overboard, he said.

Zarabozo himself threw the bodies overboard, cleaned up the mess, vomited and then went to the bridge, where he slept for eight hours, he said.

The agent said two bullet casings and suspected blood were discovered inside the cabin, despite Zarabozo's alleged assertion that the four crew members were shot outside the cabin. A third bullet casing was found outside the cabin, he said. All three casings were 9 mm.

The agent also testified that both men had bought two gun magazines from a gun store on September 12.

The FBI said it recovered a backpack from the life raft that contained a blow gun, darts and knives -- one with a 3- to 4-inch blade -- cell phones and two pairs of leather exercise gloves without fingers.

The FBI found a trigger lock for a gun and a receipt for the magazines inside the backpack, the agent said.

The agent said Zarabozo told him that on September 21, the night before the charter was hired, he and Archer stayed in a hotel, where friends visited with them.

But the agent testified that the friends identified by Zarabozo have denied they were there, and a hotel surveillance tape did not show the friends at the hotel.

The government has 10 days to indict the men. Zarabozo is charged with lying to a federal agent about having been on the boat; Archer is charged with unlawful flight for allegedly stealing more than $92,000 from a Wal-Mart in Arkansas where he once worked.

Arraignment is set for October 11.

If neither man is indicted, a preliminary hearing would be held October 11 to determine whether there is enough evidence to continue to hold them without bail.

Defense attorneys argued strenuously that bail should be set.

Archer's attorney said it was not clear that his client had known when he left Arkansas that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. E-mail to a friend

All About Cuba • Miami