Chilean man on tourist visa arrested in deadly beating at Kissimmee motel, sheriff says

Chilean man arrested in deadly beating at Kissimmee motel

A 25-year-old transient from Chile, Piero Estefano But-Castillo, was arrested Wednesday after Osceola County deputies say he beat a 55-year-old man to death at a Kissimmee motel.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A man described by authorities as a Chilean national has been arrested after Osceola County sheriff's deputies said he beat a man to death at a Kissimmee motel.

Piero Estefano But-Castillo, 25, is charged with premeditated murder, resisting an officer with violence, battery, and criminal mischief.

‘Brutal beating with a fire extinguisher’

What we know:

During a news conference on Friday, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez detailed events leading to the suspect's arrest. The sheriff said a 911 call was received around 4 p.m. on Wednesday reporting a disturbance at the Quality Inn on Entry Point Boulevard, where witnesses described a man stomping on another man and using a fire extinguisher to beat him.

When deputies arrived, they said they found But-Castillo assaulting the victim, whose injuries proved deadly despite efforts to resuscitate him. The sheriff said But-Castillo had become enraged after he was evicted from the hotel.

"In an effort to calm him down, our victim — Mr. Robert Krusinowski, a 55-year-old man — was unarmed, just trying to de-escalate the situation," Sheriff Lopez explained. "However, our suspect it angered him, and he just beat him to death. It was a brutal beating with a fire extinguisher."

Krusinowski, described as a longtime resident who frequently helped motel staff with maintenance tasks, suffered severe head trauma.

"These savage attacks aren't going to go unpunished here," the sheriff said.

Piero Estefano But-Castillo, 25, is charged with premeditated murder, resisting officer with violence, battery, and criminal mischief.

Sheriff Lopez said that detectives were in the process of reviewing surveillance video and witness video.

"We did obtain some type of video from the Quality Inn, which has been submitted into evidence," the sheriff said.

When did the suspect arrive in the U.S.?

Timeline:

But-Castillo entered the United States in 2019 as a non-immigrant student but left for unknown reasons, according to Sheriff Lopez. He returned to the U.S. on Jan. 1 on a 90-day tourist visa and the deadly attack happened one week later.

What's next:

But-Castillo was ordered to remain in custody without bond at the Osceola County Jail following his initial court appearance on Thursday.

The sheriff concluded the news conference by urging caution when dealing with individuals disrupting the law.

"Let us take this into our hands. It's better that you don't get involved," the sheriff added. "You don't know who you're dealing with and people get angry, lose their tempers — you don't know if they're psychotic or on drugs."

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: