Bricks of cocaine tucked away in a lamp fixture is the latest twist in the perplexing investigation into the carjacking and murder of a Homestead woman in Central Florida.
The revelation in the bizarre murder case was uncovered April 16 after Homeland Security Investigations agents found a suspicious parcel being mailed from Puerto Rico, according to a federal criminal complaint. A K9 alerted them of the package, where 3.28 kilograms of cocaine were sealed in the lamp with caulk and nails.
A police officer dropped the parcel off at the address as agents staked out the area. Monicsabel Romero Soto was spotted repeatedly driving around the home in a white Acura SUV, presumably to ensure no law enforcement was present, the complaint alleges.
At one point, Romero Soto got out of the white Acura SUV and walked over to the package, according to the complaint. The 27-year-old told agents she came to “pick up her lamp” that she ordered on Facebook for $300.27.
READ MORE: Arrests made in investigation into Homestead woman’s deadly carjacking
Romero Soto is now facing federal charges — and one of several people arrested in connection to the murder of 31-year-old Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, who was carjacked in broad daylight after traveling from Homestead to Central Florida on April 11. The others arrested include:
▪ Jordanish Torres-Garcia, a 28-year-old investigators consider a person of interest. Torres-Garcia owns the green 2002 Acura that is connected to her killing and to the murder of a tow truck driver in Orange County the day before. He was arrested on an existing federal weapons possession warrant.
▪ Francisco Estrella Chicon, an Orange County deputy accused of illegally accessing the personal and professional profile information belonging to the lead Seminole County detective on the case and sharing that information with Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ husband Miguel Angel Aguasvivas. Estrella Chicon’s wife is a childhood friend of Aguasvivas.
A Miami connection, too?
Investigators are still searching for 27-year-old Giovany Joel Crespo Hernandez — Romero Soto’s live-in boyfriend. He appears to be one of the last people Guerrero De Aguasvivas spoke to on the phone as she was driving on I-4 through the downtown Orlando area, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said.
Crespo Hernandez, 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 states that he was the target of a Homeland Security probe in the Miami area in 2020 that led to agents seizing more than $300,000.
When deputies searched the couple’s Central Florida home, they located fentanyl, more than $13,000 in cash, two Glock firearms, multiple cellphones and expensive jewelry, according to the complaint. A Toyota in the driveway had a “trap” used by traffickers to hide drugs.
Crespo Hernandez faces federal fentanyl trafficking charges, according to Lemma. It’s unclear whether he was arrested or charged in connection to the 2020 investigation in South Florida.
Why was she in Central Florida?
The sprawling probe into the Homestead woman’s strange death spans several counties across the state. It includes federal agents and detectives from multiple sheriff’s offices.
On April 11, masked gunman were caught on video getting out of the green Acura and into Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ Dodge Durango at an intersection in unincorporated Seminole County. That Durango was found later that day in a construction site, torched, with Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ body burned inside.
Witnesses said they heard multiple gunshots before the grisly scene was discovered and spent bullet casings were found on the ground. The green Acura is also connected to the shooting death of Juan Luis Cintron Garcia, 39, in Orange County the day before Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ murder.
The reason for her travels to Central Florida remains unclear. Her husband initially told investigators that she was visiting relatives. However, her brother, Luis Fernando Abreu, told investigators that he discovered she was in the area to “deliver money and other stuff for a friend,” Sheriff Lemma said.
Neither, Lemma added, are currently considered suspects.
“He and her brother, Luis, are cooperating,” Lemma told reporters Friday. “But I am incredibly skeptical of their cooperation.”
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
