Bricks of cocaine hidden in a light fixture are the latest twist in the puzzling investigation into the carjacking and murder of a Homestead woman in central Florida.
Revelation of the bizarre murder case emerged April 16 after Homeland Security Investigations agents discovered a suspicious package sent from Puerto Rico, according to a federal criminal complaint. A K9 alerted them to the package, in which 3.28 kilograms of cocaine were sealed in the lamp with putty and nails.
A police officer dropped off the package at the address while officers monitored the area. Monicsabel Romero Soto was seen several times driving around the house in a white Acura SUV, likely to ensure no law enforcement was present, according to the complaint.
At one point, Romero Soto got out of the white Acura SUV and walked toward the package, according to the complaint. The 27-year-old told officers she had come to “pick up her lamp” that she had ordered on Facebook for $300.27.
READ MORE: Arrests made in investigation into Homestead woman’s fatal carjacking
Romero Soto is now facing federal charges – and is one of several people arrested in connection with the murder of Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, 31, who was carjacked in broad daylight after traveling from Homestead to central Florida on April 11. orders include:
▪ Jordanian Torres-Garcia, 28, is considered a person of interest by investigators. Torres-Garcia owns the green 2002 Acura that is linked to her murder and the killing of a tow truck driver in Orange County the day before. He was arrested on an existing federal warrant for weapons possession.
▪ Francisco Estrella Chicon, an Orange County deputy accused of illegally accessing personal and professional profile information belonging to the lead Seminole County detective on the case and sharing that information with Guerrero De’s husband Aguasvivas, Miguel Angel Aguasvivas. Estrella Chicon’s wife is a childhood friend of Aguasvivas.
A connection with Miami too?
Investigators are still searching for Giovany Joel Crespo Hernandez, 27, the live-in boyfriend of Romero Soto. He appeared to be one of the last people Guerrero De Aguasvivas spoke to on the phone as she drove on I-4 through downtown Orlando, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said.
Crespo Hernández, according to the complaint, is a known member of a drug trafficking organization and a person of interest in “a series of home invasions and homicide investigations.” The filing also says he was the target of a Homeland Security investigation in the Miami area in 2020, which led agents to seize more than $300,000.
When officers searched the couple’s Central Florida home, they found fentanyl, more than $13,000 in cash, two Glock firearms, several cell phones and expensive jewelry, according to the complaint. A Toyota in the driveway had a “trap” used by dealers to hide drugs.
Crespo Hernandez faces federal charges of trafficking fentanyl, according to Lemma. It is unclear whether he was arrested or charged in connection with the 2020 investigation in South Florida.
Why was she in Central Florida?
The sprawling investigation into the Homestead woman’s strange death spans several counties across the state. It includes federal agents and detectives from several sheriff’s offices.
On April 11, a masked gunman was filmed getting out of the green Acura and getting into Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ Dodge Durango at an intersection in unincorporated Seminole County. This Durango was found later that day at a construction site, burned, with the body of Guerrero De Aguasvivas burned inside.
READ MORE: Body Found Burned Believed To Be Homestead Woman Who Was Carjacked In Central Florida
Witnesses said they heard several gunshots before the grisly scene was uncovered and spent bullet casings were found on the ground. The green Acura is also linked to the shooting death of Juan Luis Cintron Garcia, 39, in Orange County, the day before the killing of Guerrero De Aguasvivas.
The reason for his trip to Central Florida remains unclear. Her husband initially told investigators she was visiting relatives. However, her brother, Luis Fernando Abreu, told investigators he discovered she was in the area to “deliver money and other things to a friend,” Sheriff Lemma said.
Abreu discovered the information after doing his own research, Lemma said. He contacted Crespo Hernández through Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ iCloud account, took a screenshot of his image and sent it to detectives.
Neither Aguasvivas nor Abreu, Lemma added, are currently considered suspects.
“He and his brother Luis are cooperating,” Lemma told reporters Friday. “But I’m incredibly skeptical that they’ll cooperate.”
