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Suspect in deadly Central Florida carjacking tied to alleged drug ring takes plea deal: Prosecutors

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Published  January 15, 2025 6:42pm EST
Orange County
FOX 35 Orlando

Suspect takes plea deals in deadly Central Florida carjacking

One of the men charged in a deadly Central Florida carjacking and murder has pleaded guilty, admitting involvement in a broader criminal enterprise, according to federal court documents and testimony. Kevin Ocasio-Justiniano, 29, appeared in federal court Wednesday, pleading guilty to five charges, including the carjacking, kidnapping, and murder of 31-year-old Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, whose body was found in a burning car in Osceola County last year.

ORLANDO, Fla. - One of the men charged in a deadly Central Florida carjacking and murder has pleaded guilty, admitting involvement in a broader criminal enterprise, according to federal court documents and testimony.

Kevin Ocasio-Justiniano, 29, appeared in federal court Wednesday, pleading guilty to five charges, including the carjacking, kidnapping, and murder of 31-year-old Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, whose body was found in a burning car in Osceola County last year. 

Investigators say Ocasio-Justiniano was driving a green Acura that followed Aguasvivas in Winter Springs before the attack.

How is Ocasio-Justiniano tied to the deadly carjacking?

What we know:

Prosecutors presented extensive evidence, including surveillance footage, purchase records of lighter fluid used to ignite the car, and cash linked to payment for the murder. Ocasio-Justiniano confirmed the details in court, where prosecutors also revealed his role in a fentanyl and cocaine trafficking ring.

Kevin Ocasio Justiniano was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Puerto Rico on April 22, 2024. He will be extradited to Central Florida to be federally charged with carjacking resulting in death. (Photo: Seminole County Sheriff's Office)

The drug operation was allegedly led by a man named Giovanny Crespo Hernandez, who allegedly orchestrated the attack on Aguasvivas. Hernandez faces the death penalty, while Ocasio-Justiniano’s plea deal spares him that possibility.  Ocasio-Justiniano’s charges also include possession of a machine gun and participation in robberies tied to the trafficking network.

Authorities said they had been tracking the enterprise since 2022, monitoring calls and movements. Several co-defendants have also been indicted, with prosecutors suggesting more arrests could follow.

Prosecutors: Ocasio-Justiniano linked to multiple crimes

The backstory:

Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, 31, was carjacked on April 11, 2024, in Winter Springs and later found dead in Osceola County. 

Investigators allege Guerrero De Aguasvivas traveled from South Florida to Central Florida to collect $170,000 tied to drug trafficking.

Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas (left) and an image of her alleged armed carjacking.

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The case gained national attention after surveillance footage captured a masked suspect jumping out of a green car, carjacking another vehicle with Katherine still inside. 

Who are the primary suspects?

Four suspects were arrested in the months that followed, including Jordanish Torres-Garcia, 28; Kevin Ocasio-Justiniano, 27; Giovany Crespo Hernandez, 27; and Dereck Alexis Rodriguez Bonilla, 21. 

Jordanish Torres-Garcia was federally charged with carjacking resulting in death. The charges came after he was arrested on an unrelated warrant from a weapons-related crime in Puerto Rico. (Photo: Seminole County Sheriff's Office)

Torres-Garcia was the first person federally charged in the carjacking death. Detectives said he was linked to the crime when law enforcement discovered his connection to the purchase of a green Acura that reportedly followed and bumped Guerrero De Aguasvivas' car before the carjacking. Torres-Garcia was arrested on April 19 on a warrant for a weapons-related crime in Puerto Rico. 

Kevin Ocasio Justiniano was arrested in Puerto Rico on April 22, 2024. He is facing charges of possession of an automatic weapon and drug trafficking. He will be extradited to Central Florida. (Photo: Seminole County Sheriff's Office)

Ocasio-Justiniano was linked to the investigation through a red Toyota Corolla that was seen in the same apartment complex where the green Acura was found abandoned after the carjacking. Surveillance video showed the Corolla arriving at the apartment complex to pick up the occupants of the green Acura, who appeared to be cleaning up the car and wiping it down. A records check of the Corolla came back to a relative of Ocasio-Justiniano. Authorities also believe Ocasio-Justiniano was the driver of the green Acura involved in the carjacking. Court documents also allege that Ocasio-Justiniano was recruited by Torres-Garcia to participate in the carjacking. On the day of Guerrero De Aguasvivas' death, investigators said they obtained surveillance footage from a gas station that showed both Ocasio-Justiniano and Torres-Garcia buying lighter fluid. This lighter fluid would eventually be poured on Guerrero De Aguasvivas' body in the moments before her death, the documents said. 

Giovany Crespo Hernandez, a person of interest in the carjacking case involving Katherine Aguasvivas, was taken into custody on unrelated drug charges in Seminole County on April 22, 2024. (Photo: Seminole County Jail)

Crespo Hernandez was identified as a person of interest early on in the investigation due to the fact that he was the last person to speak to Guerrero De Aguasvivas on the day of her carjacking and death. Federal court documents reveal that it was his idea to carjack and rob the woman in the first place. A search warrant was executed on Crespo Hernandez's home in Casselberry, which yielded the discovery of fentanyl, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, nearly $14,000 in cash, drug packaging materials, two guns, magazines, ammunition and ski masks, according to an arrest affidavit. Crespo Hernandez was taken into custody on April 22 on these drug charges. 

Dereck Rodriguez Bonilla was indicted for carjacking resulting in death on June 6, 2024. (Seminole County Sheriff's Office)

Rodriguez Bonilla was recruited into the alleged conspiracy to carjack and rob Guerrero De Aguasvivas by Torres Garcia, according to court documents. Prosecutors say that on the day of the carjacking, Rodriguez Bonilla allegedly provided a 10mm firearm – what feds call the "murder weapon" – to Ocasio-Justiniano. Investigators said this was the gun that was used to kill Guerrero De Aguasvivas.

Guerrero De Aguasvivas' husband indicted

Guerrero De Aguasvivas' husband, Miguel Aguasvivas-Lizardo, was indicted in November by federal prosecutors, accused of actions that allegedly contributed to her tragic death.

U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg addressed the link between Miguel Aguasvivas and his wife’s death.

"Katherine Aguasvivas was put in harm’s way," Handberg said. "Anytime anyone is involved in drug trafficking, whether distributing drugs themselves or involved in money, what I've seen from over two decades as a federal prosecutor is violence often goes hand in hand."

Investigators believe Aguasvivas-Lizardo also traveled from South Florida to Central Florida to pick up drug money. Feds said her husband was also part of the operation.

"He and others would travel up from South Florida to here in Orlando. They would pick up currency in bulk and bring it back down to South Florida," Handberg said.

Suspects would then convert the cash into cryptocurrency and give it over to drug organizations, he said.

What are the details of the plea deal?

Dig deeper:

This case began with the murder of Guerrero De Aguasvivas but has since expanded to include several more crimes and suspects.

Ocasio-Justiniano admitted to a judge on Jan. 15 that he is guilty of five charges tied to multiple investigations. These charges can be grouped into three categories.  

The primary charge leading to his potential life sentence is the carjacking, kidnapping, and murder of Aguasvivas. This crime stemmed from a second category: Justiniano’s involvement in an alleged drug trafficking operation led by Crespo Hernandez, who is accused of orchestrating the attack on Aguasvivas. Homeland Security had been monitoring Crespo Hernandez for years, arresting him in 2020. Crespo Hernandez now faces the death penalty, and his girlfriend, Mocsabel Romero Soto, has also been indicted for her role in the trafficking network.  

Although the operation primarily dealt with fentanyl and cocaine, federal investigators allege the group also committed robberies, which make up the third category of crimes. One robbery in February 2022 has recently resulted in three additional suspects being added to the indictment.

Ocasio-Justiniano has pleaded guilty to all charges, including drug trafficking, possession of a machine gun, carjacking, kidnapping, and murder. While the federal government has decided not to seek the death penalty, he still faces the possibility of life in prison. 

What's next:

Ocasio-Justiniano’s sentencing is set for April 15, and he faces life in prison. Prosecutors have requested that certain documents remain sealed, suggesting that more suspects could still be charged in connection with the case.

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The Source: This story was written based on information taken from documents and testimony submitted before the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

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