Ringleader identified in ‘gruesome’ Seminole County kidnapping, murder

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Two more men have been arrested and indicted in connection to the carjacking, kidnapping and murder of a South Florida woman in April, bringing the total number of suspects who now face a possible death sentence to four.

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Prosecutors said Giovany Crespo Hernandez organized and kickstarted the scheme to rob and kidnap Katherine Aguasvivas after she drove to his Casselberry home to pick up $170,000 in illegal drug trafficking profits.

According to court documents, he called Jordanish Torres-Garcia to aid him. Law enforcement identified Torres-Garcia as the man seen in the carjacking video shortly after their investigation began. They say Torres-Garcia recruited Kevin Ocasio-Justiniano to be his driver.

In Thursday’s court filings, prosecutors released a surveillance photo of the duo buying lighter fluid at a gas station before the kidnapping took place, as well as pictures of the convoy of cars driving down State Road 417 on their way to a construction site where Aguasvivas was killed and set on fire.

Read: Feds take over investigation into deadly Seminole County kidnapping, carjacking

Crespo Hernandez previously only faced drug-related charges that stemmed from a raid on his home when he was first connected to Aguasvivas’ trip to Central Florida. He was tied to the kidnapping through phone records. In addition to the initial call to organize the robbery, prosecutors said he made four more calls to Torres-Garcia during the 15 minutes Aguasvivas was at his house, before the kidnapping took place.

The fourth suspect, Dereck Alexis Rodriguez-Bonilla, was only identified and arrested Thursday. Prosecutors said he supplied the gun used to kill Aguasvivas and drove his mother’s car to the construction site.

Deputies said the same gun was used to kill a Taft tow truck driver the night before the kidnapping, when Torres-Garcia and a still-unidentified suspect drove up to the driver’s house and fired 100 rounds.

Read: Man accused of involvement in deadly Seminole County carjacking appears in federal court

Thursday’s court paperwork revealed the suspects took something out of the driver’s truck after the shooting, identifying a possible motive for the first time.

Rodriguez-Bonilla joined Torres-Garcia in pleading not guilty to the accusations Thursday. Each of the four men faces three federal charges: carjacking resulting in death (the federal equivalent of a murder charge), kidnapping and using a gun in commission of a violent crime. The minimum sentence each man faces is 10 years in prison.

Torres-Garcia and Rodriguez-Bonilla have already given partial confessions to their involvement, documents show, which will make defending them more difficult. Torres-Garcia’s attorney, Roger Weeden, declined to comment when contacted Thursday.

It’s not clear if there are any other suspects under investigation, though the release of the charges makes that possibility less likely. In a past press conference, prosecutors said they’d let their filings speak for themselves.

Read: Sheriff: 3rd person of interest in custody in deadly Seminole County carjacking, kidnapping