Deadly Florida carjacking tied to another murder and deputy’s arrest, sheriff says
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A green car that was seen in a video of a deadly carjacking on Thursday has been found, but officials are still searching for whoever was in that vehicle, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said at a Monday afternoon news conference.
Deputies believe Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvias, 31, was sitting in her white Dodge Durango when the video showed a white or Hispanic male, wearing all black with his face covered, approach the car and point a gun at the driver. He entered the SUV through the back driver’s side door.
She was being followed by the Acura before the incident, Lemma said on Friday. She told her husband over the phone that the car rammed her back bumper multiple times, but neither called 911.
Aguasvias was found dead in the torched SUV after the carjacking. Preliminary information indicates the suspect shot Aguasvias and then set the vehicle on fire.
The Green 2002 Acura in the carjacking was found on Saturday, deputies said. The vehicle is incredibly rare in Florida, with there only being three of them — two of which have been salvaged.
The car was legitimately owned by a family in Winter Springs and was sold to a legitimate car dealership, which sent it to an auction, deputies said. Another business purchased the car and sold it to someone else, but the title was never transferred from the Winter Springs family because whoever purchased the car never finished the paperwork.
The vehicle was “probably being tossed around” for two months before the carjacking, Lemma said.
The vehicle was found on Saturday, parked illegally at an Orange County apartment complex. When the VIN number was checked, they knew it was the car they were looking for because it was the only one left in Florida, Lemma said.
An Orange County deputy, Francisco Estrella, was arrested on Sunday in connection with the investigation after he allegedly used a fake name to get information about the case, which he then gave to the family of Aguasvias, Lemma said.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office detective called a phone number listed on the back of the Dodge and the woman’s husband picked up. After the call, the husband called a “family friend close to law enforcement” who happened to be the wife of the deputy, Lemma said. The Orange County deputy called the Seminole County deputy and recorded the conversation.
The woman’s husband is not a person of interest in the case and “not likely to be charged,” Lemma said.
Estrella allegedly unlawfully accessed the Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID) to get the personal information of the Seminole County detectives working the case, according to Lemma.
The green Acura was also towed from an Orange County apartment complex on March 19 because it was parked illegally. The tow truck driver was the victim of a murder a day before the carjacking, Lemma said. The green Acura was also seen at that scene.
Lemma said more than 100 rounds were fired, including rare ammo. He said the cases are either “connected, or it’s a heck of a coincidence.”
Aguasvias’ husband told deputies she was traveling to central Florida to visit family, but police couldn’t confirm if she had family in the area. Lemma said she was in Seminole County for less than an hour.
The suspect and Aguasvias are believed to have known each other, but investigators are still trying to piece everything together.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call law enforcement.
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