Person of interest in deadly Florida carjacking in custody on unrelated charges, sheriff says
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A person who deputies believe is a person of interest in a deadly Florida carjacking that was caught on camera was taken into custody Friday on unrelated federal charges, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said at a news conference.
Jordanish Torres-Garcia was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals in Orange County on a federal violation of probation warrant for a gun charge, Lemma said.
The Green Acura that was seen in the carjacking video 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 who sold it or traded it in with a car dealership, who sold it to an auction, Lemma said. The car was then purchased by a “Buy Here Pay Here” dealership and posted for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
A person with a Facebook profile under the name Jordan LaTroy reached out on Facebook Marketplace and arranged to purchase the car, Lemma said. The person in that Facebook profile photo appears to be wearing the same clothing as the person seen in the carjacking video.
Lemma said a backtrack of the phone number that was used to purchase the Acura traced back to a burglary in Orange County with his legal name, Jordanish Torres-Garcia.
“I’m identifying him as a person of interest, because when it comes to legal cases, that’s probably the safest thing to call him,” Lemma said. “But his phone number is matching the phone number that was gen by the person who purchased the green Acura.”
“I don’t know how strong you can emphasize a person of interest,” Lemma said. “He’s not going to be released.”
Detectives are still working to identify who else may have been in the Acura. They are waiting to get back additional pieces for the investigation that were requested through subpoenas, Lemma said.
Lemma also said detectives are searching for Giovany Joel Crespo Hernandez, 27, is wanted by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. Officials believe Hernandez was the last person who had talked to Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvias, 31, before the carjacking.
Aguasvias’ brother began his own investigation, Lemma said, and provided the sheriff’s office with a photo of Hernandez on a FaceTime call. Deputies later learned that her brother was on the FaceTime call with Hernandez.
The sheriff’s office had the screenshot processed through a facial-recognition program operated by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office that compares photos with booking photos across the state, Lemma said. The scan came back with a match for a 2019 booking photo that identified the person in the screenshot as Hernandez.
Deputies obtained a search warrant for a home in Cassleberry where Hernandez and his girlfriend live and found fentanyl and a gun that is not tied to the carjacking, Lemma said.
During the search warrant, Lemma said Hernandez’s girlfriend accepted a controlled delivery of a package intercepted by Homeland Security Investigators after 3 kilos of cocaine were shipped. The girlfriend, whose name has not yet been released, is facing federal charges.
Deputies believe Aguasvias was sitting in her white Dodge Durango on April 11 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.
Aguasvias was found dead in the torched SUV after the carjacking, according to Sheriff Dennis Lemma. Preliminary information indicates the suspect shot Aguasvias and then set the vehicle on fire.
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.
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.”
The suspect and Aguasvias are believed to have known each other, but investigators are still trying to piece everything together.
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