MIAMI (WSVN) - A young woman has been charged with murder after, investigators said, a drug deal turned deadly at 2025’s Ultra Music Festival in Miami.
The State Attorney’s Office officially announced four arrests at a press conference held Wednesday, nearly a year after that tragic night put the electronic dance music festival at the center of a murder investigation.
“Ultra is set to be one of the most electrifying, global, fabulous music events of the year,” said Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
However, that fabulous festival took a turn for the worst in 2025, when it claimed the life of 24-year-old Jenniha Le.
Le and her partner had traveled from Georgia to attend the festival.
The person charged with her death, 27-year-old Charlene Forti, stood before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer on Wednesday.
“It’s charging with one count of murder, which is a capital felony, conspiracy to commit murder and unlawful use of a two-way communications device,” said Glazer.
According to court documents, Lee ingested MDMA, or “molly,” that her friends had bought from Forti ahead of the festival.
The State Attorney’s Office said Forti did not act alone, as Carmen Lo was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, while Le’s partner, Hannah Nguyen, and An Tan Ly were both charged with possession of a controlled substance. Forti and Ly could be seen together in a selfie that was snapped that night.
“[Nguyen] sent a text message to defendant, a friend, Carmen Lo, asking for a ‘molly plug.'” Defendant Carmen Lo puts them in contact with defendant Charlene Forti,” said Fernandez Rundle.
That’s when, the State Attorney’s Office said, things took a terrible turn.
“Nguyen, also known as Hung, contacted the Ultra Musical Festival medical tent in reference to his partner, Jenny, who was going in and out of consciousness and not feeling well,” said Fernandez Rundle.
Le ultimately collapsed inside of that medical tent and was then rushed to a nearby hospital.
According to first responders, “…The victim had an elevated heart rate, was making incomprehensible sounds, had a high pain response, and could not respond to commands.”
“Jenny did not respond to an unseen medical treatment, and she was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital,” said Fernandez Rundle.
Just a few hours later, Le passed away.
Forti’s attorney, Richard Cooper, was in court Thursday for a hearing. He reacted to his client’s arrest.
“The State Attorney needed someone to put this on, to make essentially a [public service announcement] before Ultra, and that’s why they’re making a big deal out of it,” said Cooper. “That’s why there was a press conference yesterday with all this fanfare, because theyneed something to show that Miami-Dade care about protecting people, which is important, [but] not at my client’s peril.”
According to the State Attorney’s Office, Florida has a law referred to as “death by distribution.” Under this law, someone can be charged with first-degree murder if they distribute a controlled substance that leads to someone’s death.
“In this case, it was MDMA, and that substance is the proximate cause of that person’s death,” said Fernandez Rundle. “That means intent to killed is not required to charge murder under the statute.”
After Le’s death, Nguyen took to social media. In a post, Nguyen wrote:
“She was my best friend, my rave bae, my cheerleader, my girlfriend, my partner and my soulmate… Our two years together might have been short but will forever be the most special time in my life. Her unwavering love will always remain in my heart.”
City leaders and the Downtown Neighborhood Alliance were scheduled to hold a meeting to discuss logistics around the weekend’s festivities, Wednesday night, which is typically done every year before Ultra, but this meeting was abruptly canceled at the last minute.
Residents are hopeful to air their concerns before the hectic festival kicks off on March 27.
“You look at the impact of traffic, noise, the inconvenience. But we also know it’s been here 25 years, so we have to strike a balance to this,” said James Torres, the president of the Downtown Neighborhood Alliance.
Among the concerned residents is Jens Klabadasch, who acknowledged that the party is unavoidable but wants to minimize its negative impact for those not attending and living nearby.
“I’m not against having fun or partying, but it’s not a nice experience. Move it out of downtown, we don’t need it here,” he said.
The Downtown Neighborhood Alliance sent a letter to city officials, but the planned meeting has not been rescheduled as of early Thursday morning
As for Forti, she remains behind bars without bond and is expected to be back in court on Thursday, as her attorneys fight to get her placed under house arrest.
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