Skip to main content
Cloudy icon
77º

Fugitive arrested for 2009 murder during party in Florida City

Officers arrested Petro Plaisime, of Homestead, on Thursday at the Miami International Airport. (MDCR)

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Police officers arrested a 38-year-old murder suspect, who detectives had been searching for since 2009, on Thursday afternoon at the Miami International Airport.

Petro Plaisime, of Homestead, was wanted for the murder of Elmas Pierre and the attempted murder of three other men after a shooting on Sept. 20, 2009, in Florida City.

Recommended Videos



According to Detective Maria Mederos, there was a large crowd at a house party on the corner of Southwest Third Street and Ninth Avenue, records show.

An argument devolved into a fight. After the party host asked Plaisime to leave, witnesses told detectives that Plaisime stood in the front yard and pulled out a gun.

“Plaisime continued shooting until the pistol ran out of ammunition and fled the immediate area on foot,” Mederos wrote in her statement of facts.

Fire Rescue personnel rushed Pierre to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center where a doctor pronounced him dead. He was 25.

Plaisime is facing charges of second-degree murder and three counts of second-degree attempted murder. He is also facing charges of resisting an officer with violence, three counts of battery on a police officer, and disorderly conduct.

Corrections officers were holding Plaisime without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.


About the Author
Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

Recommended Videos