Everything to know: Deadly Seminole carjacking linked to 2nd murder, deputy's arrest
Infinite Scroll EnabledAveri Kremposky
https://www.wesh.com/news-team/00128959-4919-4661-a694-f00fdef633e8
Dave McDaniel
Reporter
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SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. —
Law enforcement officials are trying to uncover more information after a woman was caught on video being carjacked last Thursday in Seminole County and then found dead hours later in a different county.
According to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, this case may be connected to an Orange County murder that happened just one day before and also the termination of an Orange County Sheriff's Office deputy.
Here's everything we know about the cases so far.
December 2023 - March 2024: A unique vehicle
According to Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma, the 2002 green Acura seen in the Seminole County carjacking video is unique because only three exist in the state of Florida. Furthermore, two of those Acuras have been salvaged, Lemma said, which means only one exists in the state to this day.The vehicle's previous owner, a family in Winter Springs, sold the green Acura to a legitimate dealership in December. Lemma said the dealership sent the car to an auto auction, where another seller purchased the car and then sold it in Seminole County.
According to Lemma, the final buyers of the car never came back to complete the paperwork needed to transfer ownership of the vehicle.
"The car has been out on the streets, probably since February, unregistered, undocumented," Lemma said.
The first time law enforcement came into contact with this unique car was on March 19, Lemma said. It was towed from an Orlando apartment complex for being parked illegally.
April 10: Orange County murder
Weeks after that rare Acura was taken from an Orlando apartment complex, Lemma said the tow truck driver who towed it became a murder victim in Orange County.According to deputies, 39-year-old Juan Luis Cintron Garcia was shot to death in Taft in April. At the scene, officials had laid down dozens of evidence markers. Lemma said more than 100 rounds were fired at Garcia, who died from his wounds after being rushed to the hospital.
A manager at JL Towing confirmed to WESH 2 that Garcia was the owner of the business. The manager said it's tough right now, but they're focusing on their business and letting justice take its course.
Orange County officials reported after the shooting that Garcia was targeted and they were confident this was not a random act.
Lemma says the green Acura was located at the scene.
Court records indicate that Garcia lived at the same address as his wife and two children until he was arrested on March 29 and charged with battery and domestic violence against his wife.
Garcia was also arrested in January 2018 and charged with battery and domestic violence against his former wife, but the State Attorney elected not to prosecute the case.
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April 11: Deadly Seminole County carjacking
One day after the murder of the tow truck driver in Taft, a 31-year-old woman was carjacked, kidnapped and murdered.According to Lemma, Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas left South Florida on Thursday around noon. The woman came into Seminole County through downtown Orlando and Interstate 4. Around 3:30 p.m., Aguasvivas stopped at a gas station for about 10 minutes before heading into Winter Springs.
Just before a turn at East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road, Aguasvivas noticed the green Acura running into her back bumper. She called her husband right before she was carjacked.
While her husband told her not to stop, neither of them called 911.
RELATED: Amid deadly Seminole County carjacking case, here's how experts say you can stay safe
Luckily, somebody captured the carjacking on video, or Lemma said nobody would have begun looking for Aguasvivas.
In the video, someone believed to be one of the occupants from the green Acura was seen pointing a gun at Aguasvivas and then getting into the vehicle. This happened around 5:30 p.m., officials say.
"He was chasing a car, hitting a car, got out of the car with a hood over his face, with a machine gun it looked like, got in the car with the other guy," a 911 caller said.
Aguasvivas started driving towards the Seminole-Orange County line and got onto State Road 417 southbound, probably under the dictatorship of the armed suspect, Lemma said.
Less than two hours later, witnesses near a construction site off Boggy Creek Road reported hearing gunshots and seeing smoke.
When officials went to the scene, they found an SUV set on fire and a dead body. Lemma said they needed dental records and DNA to confirm that it was Aguasvivas' body, but he said they were confident it was her.
Officials also found a dozen 10 mm handgun shells at the scene, which are extremely rare to see on the streets, Lemma said. He added that these were the same shells found at the Taft shooting a day before.
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April 13: Green Acura found again
One day after Lemma announced they were conducting a murder investigation in Seminole County, officials located the green Acura suspected to be linked to the killings of Aguasvivas and Garcia.The vehicle was once again found abandoned at an Orange County apartment complex and towed. Lemma said the car was transported to the Orange County Sheriff's Office to be evaluated for evidence.
April 14: Orange County deputy arrested
On Monday, the SCSO announced that an Orange County deputy had been arrested on Sunday and was facing five felony charges related to disclosing secret information.Deputy Francisco Estrella, 33, was hired by OCSO in September of 2022 but has now been relieved of all law enforcement duties without pay while the criminal case is underway.
Estrella is facing charges of interception of wire, oral or electronic communication; disclosure of wire, oral or electronic communication; disclosure or use of confidential criminal justice information; unlawful use of a two-way communication device; and accessing computer or electronic devices without authorization or exceeding authorization.
According to Lemma, this deputy's wife is childhood friends with the husband of Aguasvivas, and these charges are related to the couple feeding investigative information to the deceased woman's husband.
Lemma says the deputy and his wife illegally accessed a law enforcement database and pulled up personal information about the lead detective in this murder case, including their home address and signatures.
Additionally, Lemma said this deputy called the Seminole County Sheriff's Office detective, used a fake name and title during a conversation, recorded the call and sent it all back to Aguasvivas' husband, who was on his way to Seminole County with Aguasvivas' brother for an interview.
"We know this deputy shared this information with the decedent's husband, Miguel, but at this point in time, we don't know who else he shared it with," Lemma said.
"They're getting fed all this information from the Orange County deputy. 'Here's where she lives, here's the detective's name, here's a recording of our conversation,'" Lemma said. "He's feeding all that information back. Why? We're going to find that out."
The sheriff describes the husband of Aguasvivas as cooperative, adding that he surrendered his phone for a forensic examination. That is when they found the communication between him and the OCSO deputy.
"I'd describe the husband as cooperative, but quite frankly, I think he knows a lot more than what he shared," Lemma said.
At the time of the kidnapping and murder, he told the detective that his wife was traveling to Central Florida to visit family members. Detectives could originally find no family members in the area but later identified two friends who lived nearby. Still, Lemma said neither of them was expecting a visit from Aguasvivas.
Lemma emphasized that the husband was not a suspect or person of interest at this time.
Officials are still on the hunt for the occupants of that green Acura, who they say are clearly dangerous.
Who ever the green acrua people are, are straight demons
