A 44-year-old Cuban, identified as Iván Aguilera Torres, was arrested Monday morning at a motel in Lake City (Columbia County, Florida), accused of killing a fellow countryman with a machete last weekend in Pasco County.
The victim, Odisnel Santana Peña, 39 years old, died following a fight that took place on Saturday night in New Port Richey, according to reports from local media.
The Crime on Hillside Drive
It all began around 9:17 PM on Saturday, August 15, when agents from the New Port Richey Police Department responded to a report of a disturbance on Hillside Drive in Pasco County.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers found Santana Peña with a serious wound that put his life at risk. Despite the efforts of emergency teams, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the authorities, the confrontation began with a verbal argument between two men who knew each other. Torres allegedly fatally wounded Santana Peña in the chest with a machete before fleeing the scene.
Coordinated search for the suspect
After the crime, the authorities in New Port Richey launched a coordinated search operation involving several agencies. The Tampa Police Department received a tip that Torres might be at a residence within their jurisdiction.
Detectives arrived at the scene and interviewed a person who admitted to having transported the suspect to Gainesville on Sunday.
The investigators reviewed recordings from security cameras and data from the Flock license plate recognition system, which allowed them to trace the route of the vehicle in which Torres was allegedly traveling.
The clues allowed authorities to trace the suspect to Lake City, about 50 miles north of Gainesville.
The detention
Police agents from the Lake City Department located Torres at the Regal Inn, located on U.S. Highway 90. The officers established a perimeter and, after several warning calls, Torres emerged with his hands raised and surrendered without resistance.
The Police Chief of Lake City, Gerald Butler, emphasized the work of his officers in an official statement:
"Our officers worked quickly and methodically to locate a suspect wanted for a serious violent crime. Their coordination with Pasco County and the cooperation of hotel staff resulted in a safe arrest, without injuries to the public, the suspect, or our agents."
Torres was transferred to the Columbia County Detention Center, where he remains without bail while awaiting extradition to Pasco County to face a charge of second-degree murder.
Other violent incidents that have affected Cubans in the Tampa area
The murder of Odisnel Santana Peña occurs after other recent violent incidents involving Cubans in the Tampa Bay area.
In June 2026, Liester Iván Cruz Mesa, a 40-year-old Cuban, died after being intentionally struck in front of a nightclub in Tampa. In this case, the police identified José Zamora Valdés as a suspect.
Previously, in July 2024, a man of Cuban descent was accused of murdering his wife and another individual in Tampa.
The investigation into the homicide of Santana Peña is under the jurisdiction of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, which will provide additional details as the case progresses. For its part, the New Port Richey Police expressed their condolences to the victim's family.
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