Florida man is sentenced to life in prison for murdering high-profile gay rights activist roommate and stuffing his body in a trash can

A Florida man has been sentenced to life in jail for murdering his gay rights activist roommate and dumping his body in a landfill site. 

Steven Yinger, 38, was convicted of killing Jorge Diaz-Johnston, 54, by a jury at Leon County Courthouse on Friday after four hours of deliberation. 

He strangled his roommate to death in January 2022 before treating him 'like a piece of garbage' and putting him in the trash can. Diaz-Johnston was unknowingly picked up by trash crews and taken to a landfill site in Baker where he was discovered. 

Yinger then stole the victim's BMW, sold his cellphone for a few hundred dollars and went shopping with his credit card.

Diaz-Johnston, who sued to end Florida's same-sex marriage ban to marry his husband, had allowed Yinger to move into his apartment in October 2021 shortly after he was released from prison. 

Yinger was found guilty of first-degree murder, grand theft, grand theft of a motor vehicle, tampering with physical evidence and criminal use of personal identification information.

Judge Tiffany Baker-Carper then immediately sentenced him to life in prison. 

Diaz-Johnston, the brother of former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, ordered Yinger to move out on January 3, 2022 after he allowed a meth addict to stay in the apartment and items went missing. 

Yinger then strangled him to death and dumped his body in the trash can outside before wheeling it away. 

His body was picked up by a trash crew and discovered in a landfill site.

Assistant State Attorney Adrian Mood told jurors Diaz-Johnston was treated 'like a piece of garbage' and showed the court the bin Yinger shoved him in.

After killing Diaz-Johnston, Yinger used the victim's bank cards to withdraw cash and buy clothes, food and beer.

One of his purchases included a $45 Chicago Bulls hat which he wore during a long interview with police.  

Yinger also stole Diaz-Johnston's blue BMW vehicle, phone and his 4K television. 

Diaz-Johnston's husband was among family and friends who attended the three-day trial and read out victim impact statements. 

'What Jorge did was genuine Christian love to try to give this man a leg up and an opportunity,' Don Diaz-Johnston told the Tallahassee Democrat. 

'And Jorge knew that that level of kindness and generosity can thaw the coldest of hearts. But the truth is it can't turn the blackest of hearts.' 

He received a phone call from a woman at Diaz-Johnston's office on January 7 to say he had not shown up for work for several days, so he reported him missing. 

Their friend Rahim Dantzler went to Diaz-Johnston's apartment that night to check on him and Yinger had answered the door. 

'I just got a bad feeling,' Dantzler told jurors. '[Yinger] kept asking me, "Why are you looking at me like that for? I didn’t do nothing to Jorge."'

A detective confirmed that Diaz-Johnston's phone was use to send an email to his workplace to say he would not be in.

But the wording was 'uncharacteristic of him' and alerted police to 'really suspicious activity.' 

'I am so angry. After all those years of trying to get my husband back, to have him ripped from me for such an utterly senseless reason,' Don told CNN affiliate WPLG last year. 

He added that Diaz-Johnston knew Yinger from an alcohol recovery program and took him at a time when the couple were separated. 

'Jorge didn't charge him rent, never had expectations, until he could get a job and support himself, and that's who Jorge was,' Don added.

Yinger has had multiple arrests and convictions in Florida and Alabama for burglary, grand theft and drugs. 

He was in and out of Leon County Detention Facility more than 12 times and was in state prison three times.  

Diaz-Johnston and his husband Don were one of six gay couples who sued the Miami-Dade Clerk of Court in 2014 for the right to get married. 

They were were among the first to get married the following year.