MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Lody Jean is set to decide on Wednesday if she will grant bond to the teenage boy who is facing charges as an adult in a fatal DUI crash.
Alex Garcia, 16, is accused of causing the deaths of Yuhlia Gelats Medina, 21; her boyfriend, Christian Mohip, 22; and their two friends, Andres Zacarías, 21, and Jenser Salazar, 21. He is also accused of injuring the two teenagers who were his passengers.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the teen’s mother said he gave Garcia the keys to her Chevy Tahoe because he told her he was going to sit in the car and listen to music, but he did not have her permission to drive away. Garcia, who had a learner’s permit, later plowed into a Hyundai Elantra, police said.
After the New Year’s Day crash at the intersection of 79th Avenue and Flagler Street, Alex surrendered to FHP troopers on March 29. Brian Kirlew, Garcia’s defense attorney, continues to contest the reliability of the prosecution’s evidence to substantiate the DUI.
During the virtual hearing, Genevieve Valle, the prosecutor in the case, said the toxicology report shows Garcia was both high and drunk during the fatal crash. There is evidence that Garcia was speeding before the crash.
“The state has failed to prove to this court that there is a substantial probability of DUI,” Kirlew said adding, “There is zero evidence of when the marijuana was in his system ... That does not prove that that person was driving under the influence. The speed proves that they were driving recklessly.”
Jean disagreed with Kirlew and sided with Valle during the first part of the hearing.
Earlier this month, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer also disagreed with Kirlew’s position on the DUI evidence. Glazer decided there was probable cause for the four counts of vehicular homicide, four counts of DUI manslaughter, and two counts of DUI serious bodily injury.
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