Defendant admitted to crime in front of Tampa man he tried to kill, prosecutors say

TAMPA, Fla. - Ciriaco Delacruz is charged with kidnapping and attempted first degree murder.

He is accused of stabbing a Tampa man and injecting him with fentanyl. This morning, the victim came face-to-face with the man, he says, tried to kill him.

37-year-old Enrique Ruz was left for dead by his attackers but by some miracle, he survived and is now telling a jury about it.

Ciriaco Delacruz is accused of trying to kill Enrique Ruz.

"I was screaming ‘help me please’ I was making as much noise as I could," explained Ruz.

Ruz said on Aug. 15, 2022, he was hanging out with the defendant, Delacruz and his drug dealer. He said the trio planned to head back to a trailer park in Hillsborough County and do drugs.

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At some point, prosecutors said Delacruz and the drug dealer admitted to a crime in front of Ruz. Fearing he would rat them out, they decided to kill him.

Ruz cried as he testified.

They lured Ruz into the bathroom to do drugs, but soon the 37-year-old was fighting for his life.

"Delacruz shot me up with fentanyl and then knocked me out," said Ruz.

He explained that Delacruz and the codefendant used duct tape to restrain him while injecting him with fentanyl and both began stabbing him.

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Ruz said he lost consciousness and then came to. He said his attackers were gone and somehow, he was able to walk out of the trailer home and get help.

Ruz was attacked in a trailer bathroom, according to prosecutors.

He spent the next few months going through life-saving surgeries and procedures.

He explained to the jury that he has limited movement in one of his hands after his nerves and tendons were cut during the stabbing.

While Ruz’s testimony was gripping there was one setback for prosecutors. When asked during direct examination, Ruz was not able to identify Delacruz in court as one of his attackers, helping the defense and opening the door for reasonable doubt.

The trial is expected to wrap up tomorrow.