The investigation into the deadly car theft of a woman in south Florida has taken some unexpected turns with the discovery of the car used by the suspects before stealing Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas’s SUV, as well as the arrest of a sheriff’s deputy in a different county for leaking information to Aguasvivas’s husband.
The green Acura driven by the suspects was later found abandoned in Orlando and was connected to the killing of a tow truck driver in Orange County on April 10 — a day before the car theft. WTVJ reported.
The frightening car theft was captured on video by a witness, who called 911 to report that a green Acura had hit a white Dodge Durango at an intersection in Winter Springs, and the gunman got out of the Acura, pointing the gun at Aguasvivas.
“You need to do something now because I don’t know what’s going on,” the witness said during the 911 call. “He was chasing the car, hit the car, got out of the car with a hood over his face and had a machine gun it looked like.”
The suspect got into the back of the Durango, and it drove off, with the Acura following behind, as CrimeOnline reported. Meanwhile, Aguasvivas had called her husband back in Homestead, more than 280 miles away, to inform him that the Acura had been following her and had rammed her. He advised her not to stop, but it was too late, and he didn’t contact authorities for two hours.
Less than two hours later, deputies in Osceola County were informed of a car fire and found the Dodge Durango burning, with a body inside. Investigators believe the body belongs to Aguasvivas but are awaiting confirmation from the medical examiner. Investigators also found several 10mm shells at the scene, believed to be from the gun used in the car theft, according to Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma.
A vehicle matching the description of the Acura was present at the scene of the tow truck driver’s murder, said Lemma, who also mentioned that about 100 rounds were fired at that scene — and at least one was from a 10mm gun, according to WTVJ. The Acura, the sheriff said, had been on the streets without registration since February, and any license plate it had would have been stolen.
Lemma stated that he “absolutely” believes the deaths of the tow truck driver and Aguasvivas are connected, “but we’ll have to have physical evidence that absolutely proves that.”
Meanwhile, Orange County Deputy Francisco Estrella, whose wife is a family friend of Aguasvivas’s husband, was arrested on Sunday and charged with five felonies after he contacted the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office seeking information about the case. He used a false name and recorded the conversation, Lemma said, and subsequently accessed the Florida driver’s license system illegally to obtain information about the lead detective.
He gave all the information, including the lead detective’s address and phone number, to the husband, Lemma said.
“What they had to gain is something that I’m incredibly interested in,” Lemma said. “Why would somebody do this? Why would they put their own job and life on the line to communicate with one of our detectives, to give an alias in the process? It’s incredibly frightening.”
Aguasvivas’s husband has been cooperative, but Lemma said he thinks "he knows a lot more than he shared."
"If your wife tells you she's been hit by a car and you don't call anyone for two hours, that's concerning," he stated.
Lemma stated that the husband handed over his phone to investigators, which is how they found out about Estrella’s involvement. Estrella has been accused of obstructing a criminal investigation, illegally sharing communication, accessing an electronic device without permission, eavesdropping, and using a two-way communication device to help with a felony.
The main detective in the case now has a protection detail.
Lemma also mentioned that there are more uncertainties about why Aguasvivas was in Seminole county.
"Initially, it was said that she was here to see family members. I don't think we believe that," Lemma mentioned. "I think there are a lot more details that he could help provide about the circumstances of this particular crime and possibly other crimes now."
According to Lemma, the two key questions now are why Aguasvivas was targeted and who killed her.
Authorities are working to figure out why Aguasvivas was killed, but Lemma said it seems the people in the Acura knew who they were targeting.
"There are still very dangerous individuals out on the streets," Lemma said. "We still want to urge the public not to approach these people, as they are likely armed and dangerous."
[Featured image: Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas/Seminole County Sheriff’s Office]