Florida
Suspect arrested in connection to broad daylight kidnapping, murder of Florida driver
The man who police believe carried out the brazen broad daylight kidnapping of a Florida woman who was found dead in her burned vehicle has been arrested, authorities announced.
Jordanish Torres-Garcia, 28, was taken into custody on unrelated charges Friday, and police suspect he’s the masked gunman who jumped into 31-year-old Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas’s SUV at a busy intersection last week.
Although the gunman was wearing a Halloween mask, police said the sweatshirt he was wearing was “identical” to the one Torres-Garcia was seen wearing in his Facebook profile picture.
He was also linked to the Green Acura that repeatedly rammed into Guerrero De Aguasvivas and followed her for at least half a mile — prompting her to make a frantic call to her husband, who instructed her not to stop but mysteriously did not call 911.
Guerrero De Aguasvivas’s body was found several hours later at a construction site — inside her burning SUV and surrounded by shell casings.
Why Torres-Garcia, who is wanted in Puerto Rico on gun charges, was allegedly after Guerrero De Aguasvivas is still a mystery.
“We have not made the connection yet with Jordanish as far as this. So to answer the question of why, if this is our shooter, why he would target her? I can’t answer that question yet,” Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said at a press conference.
Police on Friday also named Giovany Crespo Hernandez as a person of interest in the case after identifying him as the person Guerrero De Aguasvivas Facetimed as she drove through downtown Orlando, shortly before her murder.
Hernandez had allegedly told Guerrero De Aguasvivas’s brother that she was in the area — which was more than three hours from her South Florida home — to deliver money and “other stuff to a friend.”
Investigators found fentanyl and firearms during a raid of his home, but Hernandez is on the lam, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said at a press conference Friday.
Hernandez’s girlfriend was taken into custody Friday after she accepted a delivery of 3 kilos of cocaine orchestrated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Police said they are on the hunt for two others wanted in connection to the case, including the person who drove the Acura and taunted Guerrero De Aguasvivas before her abduction.
The terrifying kidnapping was caught on camera by a witness when Guerrero De Aguasvivas was forced to stop at a red light.
That’s when a man is seen running out of the green car toward Guerrero De Aguasvias’s driver-side window, the video shows.
He then stuck a firearm through the window before climbing into her backseat.
Guerrero De Aguasvias’ car then peeled away from the intersection under the direction of her captor, police said, and toward her certain death.
“The perpetrators knew who they were going after,” Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said.
According to police, Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ husband is not a suspect in the case despite his involvement in criminal information leaking.
Orange County Deputy Francisco Estrella, a family friend of Miguel Aguasvivas, is accused of providing him with details of the investigation, including the lead detective’s home address.
There are still various unknowns in the baffling case, including why Guerrero De Aguasvivas was driving so far from home, why she didn’t call 911 and why Miguel could be holding onto some secrets, as police suspect.
“I think the initial story was that she was up here to visit family members. I don’t know that we believe that,” Lemma said.
“I think that there’s a lot more blanks that he could help fill in about the circumstances involving this particular crime and now potentially other crimes.”
Florida
Gas prices rise in South Florida amid U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran, as the stock market also reports a dip
Four days into the Iranian conflict, gas prices are rising at many stations in South Florida.
“I’ve traveled all over the United States,” says Stacey Williams. CBS Miami spoke to him as he was gassing up on the turnpike. He paid $66 for 20 gallons of diesel to fill his pickup truck. Williams has noted the fluctuations in fuel as he drives to locations for his work on turbines. He just spent three weeks at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant south of Miami.
“The salary we get paid per hour does not add up to what we pay for gas, housing, and food,” he says.
Mitchell Gershon is also dealing with the higher gas prices. He has to fill three vehicles constantly for his business—Thrifty Gypsy, a pop-up store at musical venues. He’s back and forth from Orlando to Miami and says fuel is costing him 20% more. When asked how he handles these fluctuations, he said, “Have a little backup cash so you are ready for it.”
The rise in oil prices contributed to a drop in the stock market on Tuesday, which means some retirement accounts dipped, too. CBS Miami talked to Chad NeSmith, director of investments at Tobias Financial Advisors in Plantation, for perspective on the drop.
“We are seeing most of the pullback today. Yesterday was a shock,” he says. He’s not expecting runaway oil prices but says investors should stay in the loop: “Pay attention to your portfolio. Stick to your goals. Have a plan because these things are completely unpredictable.”
That unpredictability has Williams adjusting his budget. “You just cut back, cut corners, all you can do,” he says.
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop is set to be executed Tuesday evening in Florida.
Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Kearse was initially sentenced to death in 1991 after being convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
The Florida Supreme Court found that the trial court failed to give jurors certain information about aggravating circumstances and ordered a new sentencing. Kearse was resentenced to death in 1997.
Kearse awoke at 6:30 a.m. He declined a last meal and has remained compliant throughout the day, corrections spokesman Jordan Kirkland said during a news conference. Kearse met with a spiritual adviser during the day but had no other visitors.
This is Florida’s third execution scheduled for 2026, following a record 19 executions last year. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The highest number before then was eight executions in both 1984 and 2014, under former governors Bob Graham and Rick Scott, respectively.
According to court records, Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish pulled over Kearse for driving the wrong way on a one-way street in January 1991. When Kearse couldn’t produce a valid driver’s license, Parrish ordered Kearse out of his vehicle and attempted to handcuff him.
A struggle ensued, and Kearse grabbed Parrish’s firearm, prosecutors said. Kearse fired 14 times, striking the officer nine times in the body and four times in his body armor. A nearby taxi driver heard the shots and used Parrish’s radio to call for help.
Parrish was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died from the gunshot wounds, officials said. Meanwhile, police used license plate information that Parrish had called in before approaching Kearse to identify the attacker’s vehicle and home address, where Kearse was arrested.
Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied appeals filed by Kearse. His attorneys had argued that he was unconstitutionally deprived of a fair penalty phase and that his intellectual disability makes his execution unconstitutional.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Kearse’s final appeals Tuesday afternoon without comment.
A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis, far outpacing Alabama, South Carolina and Texas which each held five executions.
Besides the two Florida executions this year, Texas and Oklahoma have each executed one person so far.
Two more Florida executions have already been scheduled for this month. Michael Lee King, 54, is scheduled to die on March 17, and the execution of James Aren Duckett, 68, is set for March 31.
All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
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