(WSVN) - A primary suspect in the murder of a South Florida woman who was carjacked while visiting Central Florida turned himself into authorities.
Giovany Joel Crespo Hernandez, 27, surrendered to the John E. Polk Correctional Facility on Monday night, facing charges of fentanyl and marijuana trafficking.
“I know that there’s some bad players and some bad actors here that are doing incredibly dangerous things with this,” said Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma.
Hernandez is the prime suspect officials have identified in connection to the murder of Katherine Altagracia Guerrero de Aguavivas, who was killed in her car while traveling from Homestead to Central Florida earlier this month. Police later found her body burning in the car.
On Monday, Hernandez’s girlfriend, 27-year-old Monicsabel Romero, was taken into custody after she allegedly received a package sent from Puerto Rico containing $60,000 worth of drugs at her sister’s residence in Central Florida.
According to authorities, they believed Romero intended to traffic drugs, which led to her arrest. She was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
Another suspect connected to the case, 28-year-old Jordanish Torres-Garcia, was arrested on Friday after authorities identified him as a masked man who was seen on video pointing a gun at Guerrero de Aguavivas’ vehicle. They also linked him to the purchase of the green Acura sedan involved in the carjacking.
While detectives haven’t established a direct connection between Torres-Garcia and Guerrero de Aguavivas, they have linked her to Hernandez.
The sheriff said, according to the victim’s brother, that Hernandez spoke with her on the phone during her drive from South Florida to Seminole County.
He found the number on his sister’s iCloud account, called the number on FaceTime, and then took a photo of the man when he answered.
Investigators were able to use that photo to match him to a previous mug shot.
“Luis tells us that Giovany says that Katherine was up here to deliver money and other stuff for a friend,” said Lemma. “the route she was traveling in Homestead is a GPS route that is routed in and around that location where he was at.”
When deputies proceeded to search Hernandez’s home, investigators found money, drugs, guns, and high-end items that they suspected were taken during robberies and home invasions.
“We think that she was probably on her way to Giovanni’s home,” said Lemma.
All the new information is now in the hands of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office as they continue to examine the crime connection that led to a young woman’s brutal murder.
SCSO said in a press conference on Tuesday they believe Katherine “was probably on her way to Giovany’s home.”
In that same press conference, deputies believe they arrested the driver of the green Acura Kevin Ocasio Justiniano. He was brought in on drug charges in Puerto Rico but deputies expect to charge him with carjacking resulting in death.
“Kevin Ocasio Justiniano, he goes by the street name Kevo, one of the records that have now come in puts Kevo at the scene with Jordan of the kidnapping,” said Lemma.
Deputies report they believe Torres-Garcia purchased the green Acura and used social media to confirm his identity.
“We know that he [Torres-Garcia] purchased the Acura, he was then seen in his profile picture what appears to be the same exact clothes as the person in the video committing the kidnapping,” said Lemma.
Deputies report a day before Katherine was kidnapped, a tow truck driver was killed after he reportedly towed the green Acura that is seen in the ambush video. Around the tow truck driver’s body was 10mm shell casings, the same casings found near Katherine’s car.
Hernandez is scheduled to make his first court appearance at 2 p.m.
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