Florida man accused of killing wife, hiding remains in suitcases moves closer to trial
By Nikita Ramos
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DELRAY BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — A plea conference in the Palm Beach County “suitcase murder” case ended without a resolution Wednesday, moving the case closer to trial.
William Lowe, who is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, 80-year-old Aydil Barbosa Fontes, did not appear in court for the scheduled hearing. Lowe waived his appearance, and his attorney told the judge the defense did not have the necessary paperwork prepared to move forward with a plea agreement.
The case stems from a shocking discovery in July 2023.According to investigators, people near the Delray Beach Inlet found a suitcase floating in the water. Detectives later recovered two additional suitcases from the Intracoastal Waterway. Authorities said the suitcases contained the dismembered remains of Fontes.
Detectives accused Lowe of shooting Fontes inside the couple’s Delray Beach home, dismembering her body and disposing of the remains in the Intracoastal Waterway. When questioned by investigators about his wife’s whereabouts, Lowe allegedly told police she had traveled to Brazil and had been gone for several weeks.
Lowe was arrested days later and charged with first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty in September 2023. Investigators later reported finding large amounts of blood while executing search warrants at Lowe’s home and a storage unit connected to the investigation.
Following Wednesday’s hearing, the judge scheduled a pretrial conference for Oct. 7 and set jury selection to begin Jan. 22.
WPBF 25 News will continue to follow developments in the case.
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