MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Mexican actor Pablo Lyle appeared in Miami-Dade County court on Wednesday to ask the judge to modify his bond status as the manslaughter case against him continues.
Lyle, who is under house arrest in Miami, asked Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Marlene Fernandez to allow him to return to Mexico to see his family and go back to work.
Lyle’s attorneys claim the 33-year-old soap opera star’s status as a celebrity and his established willingness to return to face trial make it unlikely for him to go into hiding.
Prosecutors filed the manslaughter charge against Lyle when Juan Hernandez, 63, died in the hospital four days after suffering a traumatic brain injury.
A video shows Lyle, who stars in Netflix’s “Yankee” series, punched Hernandez during the March 31, 2018 road-rage incident near the intersection of Northwest 27th Avenue and 14th Street.
Lyle’s brother-in-law Lucas Delfino was driving and Lyle was in the passenger seat when Hernandez jumped out of his car and approached their car.
“He was very angry,” Delfino said about Hernandez during his court testimony Aug. 22. “His face was distorted with rage and anger. He was banging on the window very loudly.”
The video shows DelFino and Lyle got out of their car. Maria Rico and Jessica Rocha told police officers they saw Lyle punch Hernandez in the middle of the street.
“The guy went down and never moved again,” Rico said in court.
Mexican 'telenovela' star Pablo Lyle returns to Miami-Dade court
Fernandez recently replaced Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Alan Fine in the case. Fernandez is set to announce her decision on Lyle’s bond modification of bail request on Jan. 22.
Lyle is appealing Fine’s refusal in August to dismiss the case under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” immunity law. Fine said in court that he decided the self-defense law didn’t protect Lyle because the video shows Hernandez was walking away when he punched him.