A Florida sheriff’s deputy was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of using law enforcement resources to obtain details regarding a woman’s homicide investigation and sharing them with the victim’s husband.
Orange County Deputy Francisco Alberto Estrella Chicon, 33, illegally disclosed details about the investigation into the murder of Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office alleged Monday.
Guerrero De Aguasvivas was kidnapped at gunpoint last week while on her way to see family, Lemma told reporters on Friday. A body believed to be hers was found inside a burning vehicle parked about 17 miles away from the place she was abducted.
Seminole County Sheriff’s Office
Estrella, the Orange County deputy accused of sharing information about the case, had been communicating via WhatsApp with the victim’s husband and provided him with details about the Seminole County detective assigned to the investigation, according to a warrant obtained by HuffPost.
The victim’s husband handed over his cell phone to detectives as part of the investigation into his wife’s death, according to the warrant. While searching his phone, investigators found messages he and Estrella had sent to each other. Estrella had used his access to a law enforcement database to obtain personal information about the detective working the case, and had then sent that information to the husband, according to the warrant.
Estrella also allegedly sent the husband a video recording he’d secretly made of a conversation he had with the detective on the case.
“The act of sending these items to someone actively being sought for an interview and believed to be involved in the original crime clearly shows that Estrella had intent to obstruct this investigation, as there is no reasonable explanation for his actions,” the warrant read.
Estrella has been relieved of all his law enforcement duties without pay during the criminal investigation, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement sent to HuffPost on Tuesday.
“These are very serious criminal allegations,” Orange County Sheriff John Mina said in the statement. It is completely unacceptable for any law enforcement officer to misuse the power and authority of their job.”
The victim’s husband has been cooperating with law enforcement to “the extent that he feels comfortable with,” Lemma told reporters Monday, though he said he suspects the husband knows “a lot more than what he shared.”
No arrests have yet been made in Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ case and no suspects have been named.
Speaking at a Monday press conference, Lemma said the suspects’ vehicle ― a distinctive green Acura ― was found abandoned on Saturday. The car might link Guerrero De Aguasvias’ killing to another death in Orange County.
Juan Luis Cintron Garcia, a tow truck driver who had towed the Acura in March, was fatally shot in Taft, Florida, the day before Guerrero De Aguasvias was kidnapped.
“We are still in the early stages of this open and active murder investigation, but we can tell you that this was not a random act and that detectives believe Mr. Cintron Garcia was targeted,” a statement from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office read.
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