Orange deputy arrested amid probe of deadly Winter Springs carjacking released from jail
The Orange deputy sheriff accused of illegally sharing the personal information of a Seminole detective investigating the carjacking and killing of a South Florida woman was released from jail Thursday on a $15,000 bond.
Deputy Francisco Estrella, 33, is charged with illegal interception of communications, illegal disclosure of communications, disclosure of confidential criminal justice information, among other crimes. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The accusations stem from Estrella looking through law enforcement databases to search for the name of the detective who told 31-year-old Katherine Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ husband she was carjacked and kidnapped April 11 at gunpoint in Winter Springs. Her car was later found with bullet holes and on fire in Osceola County with her body inside.
According to an affidavit, Estrella also called the detective using an alias, Francisco Archuela, to ask about the case after being asked by Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ family — including husband Miguel Aguasvivas. The detective, suspecting something was amiss, reached out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and was pointed to Estrella.
After Seminole County deputies searched Aguasvivas’ phone, they found recordings of Estrella’s conversations with the detective, as well as photos of her driver’s license profile found on the database. Estrella turned himself in Sunday to the John E. Polk Correctional Facility where he was booked.
Seminole Sheriff Dennis Lemma said investigators likely would not have found out about Estrella’s communications with Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ family, who he said are friends with Estrella’s wife, were it not for the search. The Sheriff’s Office on Monday announced Estrella, who they hired in September 2022, was suspended as the criminal case makes its way in court.
“It is completely unacceptable for any law enforcement officer to misuse the power and authority of their job,” Orange County Sheriff John Mina said. “At the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, we hold our deputies to the highest ethical standards, and we will not tolerate anyone breaking the law within our ranks.”
Estrella’s arrest came as Seminole County investigators piece together the mystery of why Guerrero De Aguasvivas was targeted by the carjackers — which video shared with reporters shows were tailing her white Dodge Durango in a green Acura later recovered by Orange County deputies. While a heavily-redacted incident report released this week was scant by way of new details, it noted that passengers in the Acura tried to wave down the woman before reaching the intersection of East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road.
The video shows a masked man knocking on Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ window before hopping into the backseat, with the pair then driving off followed by the Acura. Lemma said the woman had driven up from Homestead supposedly to see family, but none were found living in that area nor were relatives living in Central Florida expecting her.
The Acura is possibly tied to a shooting in Orange County that killed a tow truck driver in the Taft neighborhood the day before Guerrero De Aguasvivas was kidnapped, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The victim, Juan Luis Garcia Cintron, was shot at dozens of times and a car similar to the one in the carjacking in Seminole was seen fleeing the scene. The bullet casings found at that shooting were from 10-mm rounds, similar to those found at the scene of the fire in Osceola County.
No suspects in either case have been identified, but Lemma questioned why Aguasvivas, who he said is not a person of interest, didn’t immediately call 911 when his wife called to tell him she was being followed.
It’s also not clear why Estrella, who was asked to look into the detective who reached out to Aguasvivas, went to such lengths to provide information from a confidential database. Corey Cohen, Estrella’s attorney, told WOFL-FOX 35 his client did not know the family well but he did it “in the effort to try to help.”
“He has no other connection to this family,” Cohen told the station. “He doesn’t know them. He doesn’t know what activities they were partaking in that led to this.”
