Tampa Jewel Heist Linked To Robbery Of Actor Kurt Russell's Home

TAMPA, FL — An accused burglar's thirst may be his downfall. DNA from a crumpled water bottle found at the scene of a multimillion-dollar jewelry store heist in Tampa has been linked to a burglary at the Hollywood mansion of celebrity couple Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn.

Marcelo A. Romero, 34, was arrested by Tampa Police in California March 4 after his DNA was found at the theft of $3 million worth of gold and jewelry from Marcelo's Fine Jewelry, 3117 W. Columbus Drive, Tampa, on April 27, 2019.

Tampa Police said burglars cut the power to the Tampa jewelry store to disable the alarm, pried open the front door, cut through a metal door to gain access to a room with four large safes and then used an acetylene torch to cut open one of the safes, making off with the gold and jewelry inside.

When Tampa Police detectives began investigating the burglary, they discovered several used water bottles on the counter in the store that employees said weren't there when they closed up the night before. One crushed water bottle processed by crime scene technician Tangala Williams became the critical evidence leading to an arrest.

The DNA results from the water bottle came back as a match to a February 2019 case investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department in which the home of actors Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell was burglarized.

In the LAPD case, DNA found on a burglary tool matched DNA from the crushed water bottle but neither the Los Angeles nor Tampa police departments had a name to go with the DNA until Oct. 3. That's when Marcelo Romero was arrested by the Ventura County, California, sheriff's office for residential burglary, conspiracy to commit a crime, resisting arrest, obstructing or delaying a peace officer and possession of stolen.

During a search of Romero's apartment, Ventura County sheriff's detectives found items stolen during multiple residential burglaries in the county as well as an acetylene torch.

Suspecting a link to the Tampa jewelry store robbery, Tampa Police Detective Sue Harmison, working with Los Angeles Police detectives, got a search warrant for a DNA swab from Romero. Tampa Police received the swab on Dec. 30 and sent it to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to process.

On Jan. 28, Harmison received the results she'd been waiting for -- the DNA was a match to Romero. The DNA comparison between Romero's DNA swab and the DNA recovered from the water bottle showed the DNA was 700 billion times more likely to belong to Romero than any other person.

Los Angeles detectives received similar news after have DNA from the burglary tool in the Hollywood robbery analyzed.

Detectives from other law enforcement agencies across the country are now reviewing unsolved burglaries to see if there's a link to Romero.

Romero is being held in Ventura County Jail on a $1.1 million dollar bond. He faces charges in Tampa for burglary of an unoccupied structure and grand theft of $100,000 or more.