SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Two men are in custody and are facing federal charges in connection with the carjacking and death ofKatherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas on April 11, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said Tuesday.
One of the men, Jordanish Torres-Garcia, 28, had already been arrested on an unrelated federal warrant, but the second, 28-year-old Kevin Ocasio Justiniano, does not appear to have been discussed in previous information from the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
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Lemma said during a press conference Tuesday that investigators believe Torres-Garcia was the armed, masked man seen in video confronting Guerrero De Aguasvivason April 11at the intersection of East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road in Winter Springs. Video of the incident shows the masked man approach the window of Guerrero De Aguasvivas' white Dodge Durango, before getting in.
At that point, the white Durango and a 2002 green Acura Torres-Garcia is believed to have been driving, made a U-turn and left the scene, witnesses told investigators.
Guerrero De Aguasvivas' bodywas found shot and inside a burning vehiclethe next day in a remote area of Osceola County.
Justiniano, also known as Kevo, is believed to be the man who was driving the Acura when the two vehicles drove away, Lemma said Tuesday, noting that phone records put both men at the scene of the crime.
Justiniano was arrested in Puerto Rico on drug and gun charges, and is in the process of being extradited back to the U.S., where he will face a federal charge of carjacking resulting in death, Lemma said, noting that Torres-Garcia is facing the same charge.
Jordanish Torres-Garcia (left) and Kevin Ocasio Justiniano (right) are facing federal charges in connection with the carjacking death of Katherin Altagarcia Guerrero De Aguasvivas. (Spectrum News/Jeff Allen)
Information was also released Tuesday about a man who has been arrested on drug charges who investigators believe was the last person to speak to 31-year-old Guerrero De Aguasvivas on the phone before her death.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office has charged Giovany Joel Crespo Hernandez, 27, with drug trafficking in fentanyl and possession of marijuana with the intent to sell. However, while he has been called a person of interest in Guerrero De Aguasvivas' carjacking and death, Hernandez has not been charged in connection to that case.
During a press conference that same day, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said Hernandez was a person of interest in the carjacking case and that investigators believe he was the last person to speak toGuerrero De Aguasvivas on the phone before her death.
From Giovanny’s first appearance, it was discovered that Aguasvivas was allegedly in Seminole County to deliver money and other items to him and a Facetime screenshot of the two talking shows Hernandez was the last person to speak with her.
A judge ruled that there was enough probably cause to keep Hernandez in the Seminole County Jail for drug trafficking charges.
On April 17, Seminole County deputies searched the Casselberry home of Hernandez and his reported girlfriend, identified as "Soto," where they located drug paraphernalia in several common areas of the home, and the master bedroom, where both Hernandez and Soto resided, according to the Seminole County arrest affidavit.
The affidavit also said that more than $13,000 in cash was located in the master bedroom, along with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
Deputies also reported finding another 9mm handgun inside a jet ski compartment located in the garage, along with three empty magazines and several rounds of loose ammunition, the affidavit said.
Investigators did not say if they believed the guns were connected to Guerrero DeAguasvivas' death.
The affidavit also noted that other people live at the Casselberry home, including an infant and an adolescent child.
As they were searching the residence on April 17, Lemma said during an April 19 press conference that his office was contacted by federal agents who had taken Soto into custody in Osceola County after she allegedly received three kilograms of cocaine sent through the mail.
After searching the home, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office issued an arrest warrant for Hernandez, who was taken into custody on April 22 after turning himself into the John E. Polk Correctional Facility.
Officials said his criminal history consists of an arrest in Orange County in 2019 on charges of possession of cocaine and possession of heroin with the intent to sell. An additional 2019 arrest record in Orange County shows that Hernandez was arrested on charges of trafficking in heroin and possession of cocaine, the report stated.
When asked if he believed all the identified individuals were working together, Lemma said, "Look, I think all of these folks are connected together." He added, though, that investigators were still working to find the evidence to prove it.
Lemma also said thatGuerrero De Aguasvivas' husband and brother, who had been working with law enforcement during the investigation, "are no longer cooperating."
Officials say that the brother has been caught telling lies.
He did not go so far as to say they were suspects in her death, and said they are currently considered to be witnesses in the case.
Anyone with information on the individuals believed to be connected to the incident, or the incident itself, is urged to contact the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
