Investigators in Florida tied the suspects in a deadly carjacking to the shooting death of a tow truck driver, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
The April 10 death of a tow truck driver in Orange County and the April 11 death of a woman in Seminole County were connected by a 2002 green Acura, one of only three in the state from 2002, Sheriff Dennis Lemma said in a press briefing. “Two had been salvaged and only one existed in the state,” he said.
The bullets used in both shootings -10 mm rounds which are uncommon in the area – also tie the cases together.
The Seminole County sheriff announced the connection between the shootings and said his department is working very closely with Orange County to solve the crimes.
“Because of the rareness of the weapon and the round, it’s likely that our bad guys are the same bad guys that committed this crime,” Lemma said.
A green Acura in two places
The green Acura was towed from an Orlando apartment complex, where it was parked illegally, on March 19. It was eventually released. On April 10, the tow truck driver was killed in Orange County — one day before the Seminole County kidnapping and murder. A green vehicle was at the scene of the April 10 shooting and it matches the description of the green vehicle involved in the April 11 case.
More than 100 rounds were fired in the shooting death of the tow truck driver, Lemma said. Some of the rounds were 10mm rounds, which Lemma said are “incredibly unique and uncommon” in the area. The victim in the tow truck shooting was identified as Juan Luis Cintron Garcia, 39, by the Orange County Sheriff’s office.
A spokesperson from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting “was not a random act and that detectives believe Mr. Cintron Garcia was targeted.” There was no motive or suspect at this time, the sheriff’s office said.
The carjacking victim, who’s believed to be 31-year-old Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas of Homestead in southern Florida, was attacked and taken at gunpoint in an area about 20 minutes northeast of Orlando, officials said. Lemma said it was not a random act of violence.
“We believe that she was absolutely targeted and followed to a certain extent,” he said.
Seminole County Sheriff’s Office
The Acura was seen repeatedly ramming the back of the Durango shortly before the carjacking, Lemma said. The victim called her husband, who told her not to stop.
Around 7 p.m., witnesses in Osceola County reported hearing gunshots, then discovered what’s believed to be the victim’s vehicle. It had been set on fire, officials said. A burned body believed to be the Homestead woman was found inside the SUV, but investigators were seeking DNA and dental records to make an identification.
What a husband knows
The victim’s husband, Miguel, told investigators his wife was in the area to visit family. Homestead, where the woman lived, is hours away from where she was killed. While Lemma said the woman’s husband has cooperated with police and is not a person of interest, he said he believes the victim’s husband knows more than he’s shared with police.
“You don’t have your wife communicate with you that you’re getting rammed by a car and go two hours without calling anybody,” Lemma said Monday.
The husband did give investigators in Seminole his cellphone, which led police to arrest an Orange County deputy. After hearing from officers in Seminole about what happened to his wife, Miguel reached out to a childhood friend, who’s married to Orange County Deputy Francisco Estrella, Lemma said. Miguel asked if they could find anything out about the investigation into what happened to Guerrero De Aguasvias.
/ AP
Estrella allegedly called officers in Seminole and posed as a detective with Orange County to find out information for his friend. He was arrested and charged with five felonies, Lemma said. Officials in Orange County said Estrella, who was hired in September of 2022, was suspended without pay.
Officers are still looking for the shooters in the tow truck and carjacking cases.
“We still have incredibly dangerous people that are out there on the streets,” Lemma said. “We still want to encourage our public to not approach these individuals. They should be perceived as armed and dangerous.”