A man suspected of stabbing his former employer to death after a disagreement is now in custody after he turned himself in at a police station in Carrillo, province of Guanacaste. The suspect, a fruit and vegetable peddler whose last name is Scott, was reportedly extremely angry after his demands for severance pay and aguinaldo (the mandatory holiday bonus in Costa Rica) fell on deaf ears.

Mario Villarevia Ledezma was 65 years old when he was literally stabbed in the back by the former employee whom he had helped get back on his feet. According to a report filed by Cinthya Bran of national newspaper La Nacion, Scott had been living in the backroom of the roadside produce stand owned and operated by the murder victim. He was also stabbed in the face and neck, according to reports by investigators from the local detachment of the Organization of Judicial Investigations (Spanish initials: OIJ).

The deceased was a native of Perez Zeledon, province of San Jose, but had been living in Guanacaste for a few years. He was known in the community as a man who helped low-income people and those who had fallen on hard times; apparently, this had been the case with the man who recently confessed to his murder when he walked into the Fuerza Publica (Costa Rica’s national police force) station in Carrillo.

According to neighbors who knew the suspect and victim, the 47-year old Scott was known in the community as “Negro”, which is a common nickname and term of endearment in Costa Rica for dark-skinned men. Fuerza Publica investigators explained that Negro was fired after missing a day of work. That’s when Negro allegedly demanded severance pay and his Christmas bonus, which are granted to terminated employees in Costa Rica under normal circumstances.

Don Mario rejected Negro’s demands, at which point the suspect warned that he would file a complaint, presumably with the Ministry of Labor. “Do whatever you want,” said Don Mario before Negro allegedly stabbed him repeatedly before going on the lam for a few days. A woman told La Nacion that she screamed at Negro to back off, but he reportedly ignored all pleas even though children watched in horror. The suspect is currently in custody.