An 81-year-old man residing in Hialeah, identified as José Antonio López, faces a second-degree murder charge after allegedly shooting the owner of the workshop where he worked in Medley, Florida, according to Telemundo 51.
According to the police report, the confrontation occurred after the victim demanded that the accused stop sleeping without permission on the premises of the business.
The victim was identified as Delio Alberto Trasobares, 61 years old, founder and owner of Metro Express Inc., an engineering, construction, and transportation company located at 9390 NW 109th Street, at the intersection with South River Drive.
The shooting occurred on Wednesday morning, around 7:28, and the businessman passed away shortly after being airlifted to a hospital.
The reason: sleeping in the workshop without permission
According to the arrest report cited by NBC Miami, weeks before the shooting, Trasobares had discovered that López was spending the night at the business without his consent and had warned him not to do it again.
On the morning of the crime, upon arriving at the premises and finding the employee there again alongside a witness, the owner demanded that he leave immediately.
According to the police report, López took a .40 caliber firearm from a shelf located about three feet away, without any argument taking place at that moment.
After insulting the owner, López shot him in the chest, according to the investigation.
Trasobares tried to retreat, but collapsed at the entrance of the workshop.
He smoked a cigarette and rode a tricycle while they called 911
While the witness present at the location contacted emergency services, López went outside to smoke a cigarette and then "started riding a tricycle around the parking lot until the units arrived," according to the police report.
Upon the agents' arrival, the accused spontaneously said to them: “I did it.”
He also indicated to them that "the weapon was next to the microwave."
The investigators searched the property and found a 9 mm firearm, another in .40 caliber, a fired cartridge case, and a bullet.
López complained of chest pain and was taken to a hospital.
The accused stated that he was "fed up" and "couldn't stand" the victim insulting and complaining about him.
Bail is denied during a hearing from the hospital
On Friday, López appeared virtually before the judge of the Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Mindy Glazer, from the bed of a hospital where he was admitted due to high blood pressure.
The magistrate found probable cause for the second-degree murder charge and, according to reports from the local press, denied him bail.
During the hearing, the judge asked the accused if he owned his home.
"No, no. I don't have anything," López replied.
Subsequently, López was discharged from the hospital and transferred to the facilities of the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office. The accused was placed in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK).
The victim's family demands justice
Blanca Trasobares, ex-wife of Delio and mother of one of his four children, expressed her pain to Univision Miami.
“He was very hardworking, a great father, and always helped anyone he could; he didn’t deserve to die the way he did. He didn’t deserve it. The one who did this was very ungrateful,” he stated.
Blanca also highlighted Delio's relationship with his employees: "All of his employees have been working with him for 20, 25 years. That says a lot about the person, and he was a very good man."
Trasobares founded Metro Express Inc. on November 21, 1996. The investigation into the homicide was assigned to the Homicide Bureau of the Miami-Dade Police Department.
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