Montco Man Who Left Body Of Homeless Person In Dumpster Sentenced To Prison

NORRISTOWN, PA — The man who killed a homeless person and left his body in a dumpster in Montgomery County has been sentenced to 20 to 40 years behind bars, a judge ruled on Friday.

Felix Santos-Colon Jr., 46, pleaded guilty to third degree murder as part of a deal that dropped first degree murder charges.

An investigation began last fall after the body of 44-year-old Oscar Traviezo-Tercero was found in a trash can near the Schuylkill River Trail in Norristown.

Police had recently had contact with Traviezo-Tercero on Nov. 2, 2025, when he called police saying he was trying to protect a young woman, the DA said. The investigation revealed that the young woman was Santos-Colon's girlfriend, police said.

Details surrounding the incident remain unclear. Both Traviezo-Tercero and Santos-Colon were staying at the Global Gas car wash, authorities said. Surveillance footage found that the last time Traviezo-Tercero was seen alive was on Nov. 4, outside the car wash.

On Nov. 5, footage showed Santos-Colon leaving the property pulling a large trash can up a hill on the Schuykill River Trail, police said.

Santos-Colon then left the trash can on the trail, bought beer at a nearby shop on Main Street, and returned to Global Gas, according to authorities.

Traviezo-Tercero's body was found in the trash can five days later, on Monday, Nov. 10 at about 7 p.m. by a concerned citizen who noticed a foul smell, the DA said.

Traviezo-Tercero had suffered numerous fractures to the back of his skull, and the coroner determined he had died from blunt force trauma.

In addition to the third degree murder charge, Santos-Colon also pleaded guilty to possession of an instrument of crime, for which he was sentenced to an additional 2.5 to 5 years in prison.