SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A suspect in the deadly April 11 carjacking near Winter Springs claims he was paid to deliver the victim to someone else, and was also given the gun used in the attack, according to a federal affidavit obtained by News 6.
Jordanish Torres-Garcia, 28, made his first appearance in federal court in Orlando on Thursday. The judge advised him that he is facing a charge of carjacking resulting in death, which is backed by the affidavit.
Torres-Garcia will remain in federal custody. Prosecutors argued that he was a danger to the community and a flight risk. He was also appointed a new attorney.
Records show that Torres-Garcia was arrested in Orange County on April 19 on a federal warrant for a violation of probation stemming from a weapons charge in Puerto Rico.
Investigators said Torres-Garcia waived his Miranda rights following his arrest. During questioning, detectives said Torres-Garcia admitted to being the man seen on video using a gun to threaten Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas inside her white Dodge Durango near Winter Springs.
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According to the court documents, Torres-Garcia said someone met him 30 minutes before the carjacking in the area of Lake Drive in Casselberry and gave him an AR-15, which was not loaded, to be used in the carjacking. He told investigators he received a call minutes before the incident and was told that Aguasvivas was on the way and that he and another person followed her in the green Acura until they reached the stop light at the intersection of East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road in Winter Springs.
Investigators said Torres-Garcia also told them he was paid $1,500 to deliver Aguasvivas to another person who is not identified in the affidavit.
The Dodge Durango was found on fire in Osceola County hours after the carjacking. A body was found inside the vehicle, and a medical examination showed that the victim had been shot several times.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office believes Aguasvivas was the victim in the Durango.
So far the investigation into the carjacking has yielded several arrests, largely unrelated to the crime itself.
On Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff’s office announced the arrest of 28-year-old Kevin Ocasio Justiniano in Puerto Rico. Investigators believe he was in the Acura with Torres-Garcia and drove the car after the carjacking. The sheriff’s office said they expect Justiniano will also be charged federally with carjacking resulting in death.
On Monday, Giovany Crespo Hernandez was also arrested on unrelated drug charges. Investigators believe Crespo Hernandez was the last person to speak with Aguasvivas before the carjacking, but they do not believe he had anything to do with the carjacking itself.
On Tuesday, Lemma said more details could be released as the investigation continues.
“Everyone who’s watched this has known it’s about drugs and money,” Lemma said. “Clearly, there’s a drug and money nexus here.”
On Thursday another person arrested in the course of this investigation, Monicsabel Romero-Soto, also faced a federal judge for drug charges. Romero-Soto was arrested when investigators said they caught her picking up a package of cocaine at a home in Osceola County. Romero-Soto is Giovany Crespo Hernandez’s girlfriend. Her arrest is not related to the carjacking case itself.
A federal judge granted Romero-Soto’s release, as long as she submitted to location monitoring, had no contact with her boyfriend, and submitted to home detention, only being allowed to leave for certain things like work.
Read the federal affidavit below:
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