WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. (WSVN) – Authorities have released new information regarding the tragic carjacking and killing of a Homestead woman, Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, in Seminole County.
Frightening video, released Friday, shows a man in a hoodie walking up to the white Dodge with a large gun in his hand, opening the driver’s side door, then the other doors and hopping inside.
“Two large updates that I’ll provide today,” said Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma on Monday.
According to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect’s vehicle, a green Acura, was located abandoned at an empty apartment complex in Orange County over the weekend. Police said inside the car was the driver, who was set on fire.
Twelve 10mm shell casings were also found around the torched vehicle.
“So, the car has been out on the streets probably, since February, unregistered, undocumented, with a license plate,” said Lemma. “A tow truck driver was found murdered in Orange County, at that scene, a green vehicle matching the description of this green vehicle was located, and there was more than 100 rounds fired at that location.”
The sheriff said that a good percentage of the rounds that were found on the scene are 10mm rounds, which are the same size as the rounds found on Guerrero’s car as well as the same size of the gun in the released video.
“Which is, again, an incredibly unique and uncommon round for us to see out on the streets,” said Lemma.
Despite the recovery of the car, law enforcement officials have yet to apprehend the individuals responsible for the carjacking and subsequent death of De Aguasvivas. The victim was discovered deceased inside her vehicle, which had been set ablaze on the day of the incident.
Adding to the complexity of the case, an Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputy was arrested over the weekend for allegedly disclosing confidential information to the victim’s family. That deputy was identified as 33-year-old Francisco Estrella. He faces five felony charges.
“Eavesdropping and illegal interception of communication, a third-degree felony. Invading privacy, illegal disclosure communication, a third-degree felony,” said a judge.
Authorities claim the deputy secretly recorded and shared sensitive details related to the investigation to Guerrero’s husband, a long time family-friend.
Deputies said Estrella called the lead detective under a fake name and asked about the case. He told the detective that he was a family member.
That conversation between the detective and Estrella was secretly being recorded and then was handed over to Miguel, Guerrero’s husband, according to police.
The conversation was later found on Miguel’s phone, once he allowed deputies to look through it. During the search of the phone, they found Estrella also gave him information about the deputy working on the case.
“Two of those charges relate to unlawfully accessing a police database, and particularly the DAVID system, that release unique characteristics of the home address, photographs, and signatures of the lead investigator in this case,” said Lemma.
Deputies are still looking for more information about the two people in that green Acura. An investigation is underway into the motive of this brutal homicide.
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