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Body Of Missing Virginia Rapper Found In His Friend's Trunk After Car Crash
Robert Coltrain has been arrested for the murder of Brian Trotter, his friend of over 10 years, according to loved ones.
A Virginia man was arrested this week after authorities found the body of the man's friend, who had been missing for more than a week, in the trunk of his car.
Robert Deupree Avery Coltrain, 25, was arrested Monday in connection to the disappearance and death of 25-year-old Brian Trotter, the Miami Herald reports. Coltrain's arrest came after he got into a car accident in Florida on Sunday on the Palmetto Expressway near the Miami Lakes area. Troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol who responded to the scene observed Coltrain removing a Glock gun case from the car after the accident; after noticing flies and the smell of human remains near his car, they popped the trunk and found Trotter's badly decomposed body wrapped in fabric, according to an arrest report obtained by the outlet.
Coltrain remains in custody at the Miami-Dade jail on charges of second-degree murder and the illegal transportation of human remains, online jail records show.
Trotter was last seen alive on October 17, when he left his apartment in the Triangle, Virginia area to take pictures with a friend, according to a missing person alert. Trotter's father, who has the same name as him, told the Herald that his son left that day with Coltrain, explaining the two had been friends for more than 10 years and were both pursuing a career in the hip hop industry. He assumed that they were going to take promotional photos for their music, but when Coltrain arrived at the house that day, he behaved in a way that the elder Trotter described as "real distant and nervous and antsy."
When Trotter failed to return home, his family reported his disappearance to the authorities, according to the Herald. They also reached out to Coltrain, whose explanations were not consistent, they said.
The car that Coltrain crashed and in which Trotter's body was found was a silver Acura, the same kind of car that Trotter was last seen leaving in, according to the missing person alert.
A motive for the killing is currently unclear. The Miami-Dade Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen.com.
Trotter's father told the Herald that he hopes the police find answers for his son.
“No one can understand what happened,” he said. “Hopefully, police can shed a light on what made a friend of over 10 years decide to commit something like that.”
In a post shared on a Facebook page created to collect information on Trotter's disappearance, his family confirmed his passing and asked for prayers as they mourn.
"It is with heavy hearts that we tell you all that Brian was found deceased," their statement reads, in part. "We are grateful for your love and support over the last 9 days. Your concern for Brian has lifted us up and is a testament to the light he shined on every one who knew him. In the coming days we ask for your thoughts and prayers and for privacy as we grieve, and as the police thoroughly investigate Brian’s death."
