Two men have been arrested in connection with the murder. Two men surrendered and admitted that they killed Alan Shalleck, one of the writers who helped bring the "Curious George" books to television, police said Thursday.
Rex Spears Ditto, 29, of Pembroke Pines, and Vincent J. Puglisi, 54, of Oakland Park, voluntarily surrendered late Wednesday at the Boynton Beach Police Department.
They were arrested on charges of first-degree murder, armed home invasion, aggravated battery and dealing in stolen property, police said.
"They came in ... and confessed to robbing and murdering this guy," Sgt. Gladys Cannon said.
Both men were being held in the Palm Beach County jail.
A maintenance worker found Shalleck's bloodied body Tuesday covered in garbage bags in the driveway of his home. He suffered several stab wounds and was stuffed beneath a heap of trash, Cannon said.
Authorities allege Ditto and Puglisi stole jewelry from Shalleck and pilfered funds from his checking account.
Cannon said authorities tracked Ditto and Puglisi using Shalleck's telephone records.
"They were acquaintances," she said.
Cannon declined to elaborate on their relationship with the victim or provide further details of the crime.
Shalleck, 76, co-wrote more than 28 "Curious George" books and helped write and direct 104 film shorts.
The monkey, created in 1939 by Hans and Margret Rey, makes his big screen debut Friday in movie theaters across the United States.
What a grisly and bizarre crime. What makes it weirder is that the first feature film about Curious George opens tomorrow nationwide.
