WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Three more of the four young men accused of violating an unconscious woman in a Bal Harbour hotel room were denied bond, Thursday.
At a bond hearing for 19-year-old Julio Fernandez, audio captured a woman screaming. Moments later, 7News cameras showed a family member losing consciousness. However, people next to her are seen grabbing her before she falls.
At separate hearings, Fernandez and Luis Rosello, both 19, learned they will remain behind bars. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Adan Valdez got the same news in juvenile court.
The fourth suspect, 19-year-old Adrian Machin, appeared in court, Wednesday, and was also denied bond. All four of them have been charged with sexual battery.
According to Miami-Dade Police, on May 1, the four teens took a 21-year-old woman to the Bal Harbour Quarzo, located at 290 Bal Bay Drive. The police report states the suspects violated the incapacitated victim with an umbrella handle and a lit marijuana cigarette.
The judge at Fernandez’s bond hearing said the teen captured the entire incident on video. “From my reading of it, he’s recording it,” she said referring to a police report that said at least one of the suspects shot video of the incident with their cellphones and posted it online.
A prosecutor at Rosello’s bond hearing revealed more details about the suspect’s involvement. “He takes a puff from the cigarette, as it’s between the woman’s legs,” said Laura Adams. “How is he not guilty?”
However, Rosello’s attorney said, the details in the police investigation are simply too vague. “They do it on purpose. The arrest reports, they lack detail on purpose, so the defense can’t prepare for it,” said Sabino Jaureguy. “There’s gonna be much more detail later, when we get the authenticity report, and we get a statement from the alleged victim, but that comes later as the case progresses.
According to the arrest affidavit, at least one of the suspects thought the sexual acts they’re accused of committing were funny, even giggling about the details. At Fernandez’s hearing, the prosecutor said, “He is the one that told detectives that she deserved to have this happen, and he demonstrated no remorse for what took place to that poor woman.”
As for Valdez, the state is considering filing charges against him as an adult.
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