MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Erwin Rommel Recinos Zúñiga was driving drunk and speeding when he crashed and killed three people about two years ago in Miami-Dade County, according to police.
The families of the three victims, Paola Sabillon, Jason Meza, and Giselle Reyes, want justice. Miami police officers arrested Recinos Zúñiga on March 24, 2022. He is also known as Erwin Zuniga and on the Miami-Dade court record as Erwin Recinoszuniga.
On Thursday, in court, Miami-Dade Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney Christine E. Zahralban said corrections gave the 28-year-old defendant “a get-out-of-jail free card” when he was released to federal immigration authorities, who deported him.
“We need some answers,” Zahralban said during the hearing.
Zahralban presented an affidavit signed by a Miami-Dade corrections officer on July 18 releasing Recinoszuniga from house arrest. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Recinoszuniga was deported to Honduras on Sept. 6 after a federal judge signed a final order.
Zahralban said corrections released Recinoszuniga without properly notifying the prosecutors in the pending case or updating the record when he was already out of the country.
“Even on September 12th, it’s still showing him in our custody,” Zahralban said.
Sabillon’s mother, Hellen Castillo, was also in court grieving for her 19-year-old daughter. Through tears, she talked about her pain with the help of a Spanish-to-English translator.
“We are always going to live with this punishment,” Castillo said.
Meza was Sabillon’s boyfriend. Reyes was Meza’s cousin. Some of their relatives wore matching shirts with their pictures and were also in tears in the courtroom.
“They know where the ball was dropped and they don’t want to admit it,” Sabillon’s sister Miriam Castillo said.
The fatal crash was at about 3 a.m., on Feb. 13, 2022, at a Valero gas station along West Flagler Street, near Southwest 48 Avenue, according to the Miami Police Department.
Records show Recinoszuniga’s bond was issued on March 28, 2022, and the court ordered that he be placed on house arrest with a GPS monitor on April 1, 2022. His defense had been preparing for trial when an affidavit was filed to remove the offender-monitored release status on Sept. 12.
Recinoszuniga is facing eight felonies and two misdemeanors. The eight felonies: Three counts of DUI manslaughter, three counts of vehicular homicide, one count of DUI with serious injury, and one count of reckless driving with serious injury. The misdemeanors are two counts of DUI damage to property.
Records show Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Laura Cruz was presiding over the case. Records show the court set a status hearing for 9:30 a.m., Nov. 19.
Prosecutors reported Recinoszuniga is not the only defendant with a pending criminal case who Miami-Dade correctional officers released to ICE before standing trial. Prosecutors recovered Cesar Julian Gonzalez Alvarado, a defendant in a child sex crimes case who was in ICE custody.
“Someone tipped me off and I had him brought back from Louisiana right as he was getting on the flight,” Zahralban said in court.
Local 10 News has a pending inquiry with the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department.