The man is facing charges of stalking and invasion of privacy, Florida records show.
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An accused “out of control” stalker was arrested after a Florida woman discovered AirPods taped to the underside of her car, according to police.
Luis Eduardo Rendon, 28, was taken into custody Tuesday, Oct. 21, on charges of aggravated stalking and invading privacy by using a tracking device, according to an arrest report by Winter Springs police.
The victim told investigators Rendon is the brother of a friend and had “been harassing her for some time,” but that his behavior was escalating and she was “in fear for her life,” according to the report.
The harassment began with text messages and calls, and she told him to stop and eventually blocked his number, according to police. Still, he continued calling her, police said, appearing as private or out-of-state phone numbers. Once, the woman received 88 calls in a matter of minutes, according to the report.
When she stopped responding, he turned to Zelle to contact her, sending payment requests and writing messages in the memo box, police said.
Next, investigators say Rendon got a job at the woman’s workplace, so she changed her hours to be the opposite of his to avoid him.
He once showed up to her apartment at night and attempted to get her to come outside, but she wouldn’t, police said. Rendon threatened her, saying he would make her come out, “and on the same night, the fire alarm handle was pulled in her building,” causing residents to evacuate, according to the report.
“Lastly, Mr. Rendon would send her messages from unknown numbers, claiming to know her whereabouts at all times and who she was with,” the report read.
The woman felt she was being tracked and took her vehicle to a friend to be inspected, police said. The friend found a plastic bag taped to the undercarriage of the car, hidden away and holding a set of AirPods inside their case, according to the report.
Police say Rendon was using a device tracking feature to keep tabs on the woman’s location.
The woman contacted police and said Rendon’s “behavior is getting out of control, and she’s in fear that (he) will harm her or her children because she refuses to communicate with him.”
Police confronted Rendon at his home in the neighboring community of Longwood. He initially denied the woman’s accusations, but police say he eventually confessed to making the calls and Zelle payment requests and to taping the AirPods to her car “because he liked her” and “ wanted to know where she was going.”
Rendon was booked into the Seminole County Jail, and records show he’s been denied bond.
Winter Springs is a suburb of Orlando, and a roughly 15-mile drive northeast from the city’s downtown.
Mitchell Willetts is a real-time news reporter covering the central U.S. for McClatchy. He is a University of Oklahoma graduate and outdoors enthusiast living in Texas.
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Nearly two months ago, a Florida woman was captured on video being carjacked at an intersection near Winter Springs, leading detectives to investigate her homicide.
Since then, investigators have discovered that several other criminal cases are somehow tied to this carjacking, raising even more questions about why it happened.
Due to the growing number of people who have become embroiled in the investigation, News 6 has created the following list to keep them in order.
Below is a rundown of these figures and their relation to the carjacking based on information from law enforcement.
KATHERINE AGUASVIVAS —VICTIM
Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, 31 (Seminole County Sheriff’s Office)
Katherine Aguasvivas is the victim in this case.
On April 11, she left her home in Homestead and drove to Seminole County. A green Acura began ramming her vehicle about a half-mile before she reached the intersection of East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road near Winter Springs.
After Aguasvivas stopped at a red light, a masked gunman approached her white Dodge Durango while pointing a gun at her. He then got into the back seat before both vehicles pulled away.
[WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE CARJACKING BY CLICKING IN THE MEDIA PLAYER BELOW]
Court records show that Aguasvivas was ordered at gunpoint to turn around again and head to a deserted construction site in Kissimmee, where she was ultimately set on fire in the Durango and fatally shot.
The Durango was found badly damaged by the fire later that evening in Osceola County, and Aguasvivas’ body was found inside.
A photo shows a torched white Dodge Durango driven by Katherine Aguasvivas. (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)
Lemma told News 6 that Aguasvivas spent less than an hour in Seminole County, and his deputies had no knowledge of her living, doing business, or being in the county before this incident.
Her husband told deputies she was there to visit family. However, deputies were unable to find any relatives in the area at this point.
Instead, investigators later discovered that Aguasvivas had been in Casselberry to meet another man — Giovany Crespo Hernandez, 27 — to retrieve $170,000 in proceeds from illicit drug trafficking.
After driving from his home with the money, Crespo Hernandez and three other men conspired to rob her of the money, leading to the fatal carjacking, investigators later announced.
MIGUEL AGUASVIVAS —VICTIM’S HUSBAND
Miguel Aguasvivas is Katherine Aguasvivas’ husband. The pair owned two businesses in South Florida: a barber shop and a beauty salon.
After Katherine Aguasvivas was rammed by the green Acura, she called her husband, who reportedly told her not to stop.
After investigators found the body believed to be Katherine Aguasvivas, they called her brother and Miguel Aguasvivas to be interviewed. The two agreed to travel from Homestead to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office the next day.
Upon their arrival, Miguel Aguasvivas provided his cell phone and allowed detectives to search the device.
However, during the search, investigators discovered that Miguel Aguasvivas had been in contact with an Orange County deputy regarding the investigation.
On April 23, Sheriff Dennis Lemma announced that Miguel Aguasvivas was no longer cooperating with the investigation.
FRANCISCO ALBERTO ESTRELLA CHICON—ORANGE COUNTY DEPUTY
Photo of Francisco Estrella, 33, included in the affidavit for arrest warrant (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)
Francisco Estrella Chicon is an Orange County deputy who became involved in this case thanks to Miguel Aguasvivas, the sheriff said.
After the discovery of Katherine Aguasvivas’ body, Estrella Chicon called one of the detectives in the case while using the pseudonym “Francisco Archuela,” according to investigators.
He claimed to be Katherine Aguasvivas’ cousin and repeatedly tried to get more details about the case from the detective. He was told it was an active investigation and that such information couldn’t be released, according to the sheriff.
While searching Miguel Aguasvivas’ phone, investigators discovered that Estrella Chicon and Miguel Aguasvivas had been sharing information about that detective, and Estrella Chicon had shared a video recording of their conversation with Miguel Aguasvivas, investigators said.
In addition, they said they found evidence that Estrella Chicon had used a law enforcement database to pull up personal information about the detective.
As such, Estrella Chicon was arrested. Four days afterward, Estrella Chicon was granted a $15,000 bond and released from jail.
Lemma later discussed Estrella Chicon’s arrest, revealing that Katherine Aguasvivas’ brother and Miguel Aguasvivas had called a mutual childhood friend — who just so happened to be Estrella Chicon’s wife.
MONICSABEL ROMERO-SOTO — DRUG SUSPECT’S GIRLFRIEND
Monicsabel Romero-Soto (Seminole County Sheriff’s Office)
While not directly related to the carjacking, Monicsabel Romero-Soto was arrested in a separate case involving a possible drug ring.
Investigators said they intercepted a package of cocaine via USPS that had been addressed to a St. Cloud home from Puerto Rico.
During a sting operation, Homeland Security personnel arrested Romero-Soto after she picked up the parcel at the home where it was delivered.
It was later found that Romero-Soto lived in Casselberry, and her boyfriend — Giovany Crespo Hernandez — was involved in a Central Florida drug ring, according to investigators.
Seminole County deputies executed a search warrant at Romero Soto’s home, where they said they found several thousands of dollars, drug ledgers, multiple cell phones, high-value stolen jewelry and firearms.
Detectives said that $13,701 cash, narcotics, and stolen high-value jewelry were found at Romero’s home. (U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida)
Alongside those items were several narcotics, including fentanyl, cannabis and other drug paraphernalia, detectives said.
GIOVANY CRESPO HERNANDEZ — SUSPECTED RINGLEADER
Giovany Crespo Hernandez (Seminole County Sheriff’s Office)
Romero-Soto’s boyfriend, Giovany Crespo Hernandez, was arrested on fentanyl possession charges days after Lemma announced in a news conference that authorities were searching for him.
Crespo Hernandez is believed to be the last person whom Katherine Aguasvivas spoke to. Lemma said those details were courtesy of the victim’s brother, who had apparently been investigating on his own.
Lemma said the brother didn’t recognize Crespo Hernandez, but he called him, took a screenshot of him, and gave that to detectives.
Detectives discovered Katherine Aguasvivas drove to Casselberry to meet with Crespo Hernandez, which prompted the search of his and Romero-Soto’s home.
In court documents released on Thursday, investigators said that Crespo Hernandez was responsible for arranging the robbery and carjacking to retrieve the $170,000 from Katherine Aguasvivas.
Crespo Hernandez is charged with carjacking, kidnapping and the use of a firearm — all of which resulted in Katherine Aguasvivas’ death.
JORDANISH TORRES-GARCIA — SUSPECTED GUNMAN
Jordanish Torres-Garcia, 28, was arrested on Friday in Seminole County. (SCSO)
Jordanish Torres-Garcia is the man whom investigators said held Katherine Aguasvivas at gunpoint during the carjacking.
Investigators said he conspired with Crespo Hernandez to rob Katherine Aguasvivas of the $170,000 she received, and he was spotted at a gas station with another suspect buying lighter fluid shortly before the carjacking took place.
Investigators said that Torres-Garcia and Ocasio Justiniano were caught on surveillance footage at a local gas station. (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)
He was arrested by U.S. Marshals at a business in Orange County over a week after Katherine Aguasvivas’ body was found.
Lemma said his detectives had evidence Torres-Garcia bought the green Acura used in the carjacking on April 11.
They believe the same car was also seen at another homicide the day before, which involved a tow truck driver being gunned down in Orange County.
Torres-Garcia’s Facebook profile picture shows him wearing the same sweatshirt as the masked gunman during the carjacking, according to Lemma.
After his initial arrest in April, he was held in custody because he was wanted on gun charges out of Puerto Rico.
Court documents obtained by News 6 show Torres-Garcia was charged in federal court in 2015 after police searched an apartment where he was living and seized multiple guns and ammunition.
According to the documents, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in federal prison and three years of supervised release.
Records show Torres-Garcia was released from Coleman Federal Prison in Sumter County in October 2023.
He was instructed to report to the Casa Alborada Residential Reentry Center in Puerto Rico, but according to court documents, he never showed up.
A federal judge issued a warrant for his arrest in March, but he was not caught until law enforcement took him into custody on April 19.
When Torres-Garcia was arrested by Homeland Security in 2015, a records check revealed he had been convicted of a crime before.
Court records show Torres-Garcia also has a criminal history in Orange County.
Torres-Garcia is charged with carjacking, kidnapping and the use of a firearm — all of which resulted in Katherine Aguasvivas’ death.
KEVIN OCASIO JUSTINIANO — SUSPECTED DRIVER
28 year-old Kevin Ocasio Justiniano, also referred to as “Kevo” (Seminole County Sheriff’s Office)
Kevin Ocasio Justiniano — also known as “Kevo” — is another suspect in the armed carjacking case.
Investigators said Ocasio Justiniano was the driver in the green Acura, and he drove to a deserted construction site in Kissimmee alongside Katherine Aguasvivas in her Durango as she was held at gunpoint by Torres-Garcia.
After arriving there, Ocasio Justiniano then met with a fourth suspect to receive a firearm, which was used to shoot Katherine Aguasvivas after she was doused in lighter fluid, investigators added.
According to Lemma, a red Toyota Corolla was seen at the apartment complex where the green Acura was dropped off, and it picked up the occupants of the Acura after they finished cleaning off the Acura.
Lemma added that Ocasio Justiniano is believed to be the driver of the Corolla at that time.
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma announced that Kevin Ocasio Justiniano is believed to have driven a red Corolla that was seen picking up the occupants of the green Acura at the apartment complex where the Acura was previously towed away. (Seminole County Sheriff’s Office)
Ocasio Justiniano is charged with carjacking, kidnapping and the use of a firearm — all of which resulted in Katherine Aguasvivas’ death.
DERECK RODRIGUEZ BONILLA — FOURTH SUSPECT
Dereck Rodriguez Bonilla is the fourth man arrested in this case, and his arrest was revealed in court documents released on Thursday.
Investigators said Rodriguez Bonilla — along with Ocasio Justiniano — was recruited by Torres-Garcia to help with the robbery and carjacking.
After Katherine Aguasvivas was forced to drive to a deserted construction site in Kissimmee at gunpoint, Ocasio Justiniano met with Rodriguez Bonilla to receive a firearm, investigators added.
That firearm was ultimately used to kill Katherine Aguasvivas before her body was burned in the Durango.
However, Rodriguez Bonilla later “falsely denied” providing the weapon, court records show. Instead, he claimed that he went to Kissimmee that day to loan $80 to Torres-Garcia.
Rodriguez Bonilla is charged with carjacking, kidnapping and the use of a firearm — all of which resulted in Katherine Aguasvivas’ death.
Anyone with more information about the case is urged to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Office or the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
Alternatively, tips can be made anonymously through Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.
For a day-to-day timeline of events as this story unfolds, click here.
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A person of interest in a brazen carjacking earlier this month near Winter Springs has been arrested, according to jail records.
Records show Giovany Crespo-Hernandez, 27, was arrested Monday on drug charges. The Seminole County sheriff identified him last Friday as a person of interest in the carjacking of 31-year-old Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said Aguasvivas, of Homestead, was stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road in her Dodge Durango when a masked man carrying a 10mm automatic handgun got out of a green Acura and entered her SUV, apparently forcing her to drive off at gunpoint.
Less than two hours later, a vehicle similar to the Durango was found ablaze in Osceola County after witnesses reported hearing gunshots at a construction site near Boggy Creek Road, the sheriff said, adding that the vehicle was damaged so badly that it could not be identified. A body believed to be Aguasvivas was found in the vehicle, officials said.
Aguasvivas appeared to be targeted, though the motive is still unclear, officials said.
Sheriff Dennis Lemma said detectives believe Crespo-Hernandez was the last person to speak with Aguasvivas. The sheriff said the victim’s brother called the last number used on Aguasvivas’ phone and took a screenshot of the video call, and it was later determined that the person on the call was Hernandez.
The brother also told detectives that Crespo-Hernandez told him that Aguasvivas had been in town to deliver “money and other things to a friend.”
Another person of interest, Jordanish Torres-Garcia, is facing federal gun charges in an unrelated case. The sheriff said detectives were able to link him as the person who bought the green Acura that was involved in the carjacking.
Crespo-Hernandez’s girlfriend, Monicsabel Romero-Soto, was arrested last week when deputies executed a search warrant on the couple’s home.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office provided several key developments in the homicide investigation involving a woman who was carjacked at gunpoint near Winter Springs on April 11.
Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, 31, of Homestead, was attacked and kidnapped at gunpoint at an intersection near Winter Springs.
Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvias (WPLG)
Aguasvivas was stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road in her Dodge Durango around 6 p.m. when a masked gunman carrying a 10mm automatic handgun got out of a green Acura and entered her SUV, apparently forcing her to drive off.
Later that evening, witnesses in Osceola County reported hearing gunshots and seeing smoke from a vehicle fire. The vehicle was badly damaged, and a body was found inside it. Authorities believe it is Aguasvivas.
Sheriff Dennis Lemma said at a news conference on Monday afternoon that the 2002 Green Acura in question, one of only three in the state of Florida, has been located.
Lemma said that a Winter Springs family sold the Acura to a dealership in December and that business then sold the vehicle to an auto auction. The Acura was then purchased by a “buy here, pay here” lot who later sold it again.
“And the people who purchased the car never came back to finish the additional paperwork. They still owed the person money so the car has been out on the streets probably since February,” Lemma said.
In another twist, the Acura was towed from an apartment complex on March 19. According to law enforcement officials, the tow truck driver who towed the Acura was gunned down in Orange County on April 10.
Sheriff Lemma said a green Acura similar to the one involved in the carjacking was seen at the scene where the tow truck driver was shot. More than 100 rounds were fired during the shooting with “a good percentage” of the rounds being 10mm.
Lemma went on to explain that 10mm bullets were used to kill Aguasvivas in Osceola County, although her body has not been positively identified yet.
“An incredibly unique and uncommon round for us to see out on the streets,” Lemma said.
The Acura was then located on April 13, abandoned at an Orange County apartment complex, and again towed and transferred to the sheriff’s office to be evaluated.
Lemma said that when investigators called the phone number on the back of the carjacking victim’s SUV, her husband answered. Her husband and her brother, who both live in Homestead, provided deputies with “whatever information they could on the phone” before agreeing to travel to Central Florida to meet with investigators.
The two men then reached out to a mutual childhood friend, who happens to be the wife of an Orange County deputy.
“The wife of the Orange County deputy reached out and said, ‘I’ve been contacted by this person who is identified by name as a detective with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. Can you find out whatever information you can about this particular person?’” Lemma said.
The deputy is accused of then calling Seminole County deputies, giving a false name and identifying himself as a detective with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office wanting to get information about this case.
“And our detectives obviously thought that that communication was strange, especially the timeliness of it. Just hours after we identify that we’re working a homicide case here,” Lemma said.
That deputy, identified as 33-year-old Francisco Estrella, and his wife are accused of illegally accessing law enforcement databases to pull up “the unique characteristics, home address, photographs, signatures of our primary detective working the case,” Lemma said.
Lemma said the communication between himself and detectives was recorded by Estrella and all of the information gathered, including the recorded call, was sent to Aguasvivas’ husband who was in transit to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
Aguasvivas’ husband agreed to let investigators examine his phone and deputies then discovered the communication between himself and Estrella, the Orange County deputy.
“That is why he has now been charged with five felonies here in Seminole County. Two of those felonies deal with recording and releasing the audio file of the detectives conversation with him. Two of those charges relate to unlawfully accessing a police database,” Lemma said about Estrella.
Those involved in the shooting itself and the individuals in the green Acura have still not been identified at this time, according to deputies.
“We still have incredibly dangerous people that are out there on the streets. We still want to encourage our public to again not approach these individuals they should be perceived as armed and dangerous. Anybody who has any information about the occupants of this incredibly rare vehicle here in the state of Florida should contact authorities, either the Orange County Sheriff’s Office or the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office
You can also anonymously call Crimeline at 800-423-8477 and be eligible for a reward.
