FL - Romina Fernandez, 17, found burned at Sweetwater strip mall, 10 Oct 2014

[OkieGranny]

http://www.local10.com/news/body-fo...ified-as-17yearold-rominia-fernandez/29199764

A body found behind a strip mall in Sweetwater Saturday night has been identified as that of 17-year-old Romina Fernandez.

According to investigators, officers were called to the strip mall on Flagler Street and 114th Avenue at about 9:15 p.m. after reports of fire. Once the fire was extinguished, Fernandez's body was discovered.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/west-miami-dade/article3376877.html

Andrea Perez began to worry when night fell on Oct. 10 and there was no sign of her teenage daughter, Romina. Her worry turned to fear when she got a text message from Romina’s cellphone — “Hi mom, I’m OK. I’m moving to New York with a friend. Don’t worry.” The words catch in her throat as she struggles to explain it — the message just wasn’t from her daughter...

Friends of Romina told Perez that the night she disappeared — at 6:20 p.m. — she called them. In Spanish, the teen said she couldn’t be their friend anymore and was moving to New York with a man. Perez says her daughter never spoke to her friends in Spanish...

Wednesday, as Perez worked to process the news of her daughter’s death, she received a letter in the mail. The note echoed the earlier text message and phone call — in her daughter’s handwriting. “Hola Mami. I’m OK. I’m going to New York with a friend. He bought me food and my medicine. Don’t worry. I’ll call you in a month.”

 

[fran]

Sounds like she was taken by traffickers.

JMHO
fran

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

If traffickers, then why kill her? Because she was not cooperative? Not being a smartypants, just don't understand why they'd kill her. This is awful.

 

[newone]

wondering if there was a big complication in management of her Type 1 Diabetes -- it can be very tricky

"The teen was born in Uruguay. By 2, she was living in Miami. At 9, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, which required her to inject insulin after every meal. When Romina vanished, her upcoming doses of insulin remained intact.

Romina had left Miami Killian Senior High last year after complications from the disease caused her to miss too many days of school."

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/loc...-miami-dade/article3376877.html#storylink=cpy

 

[colette]

So if she died from diabetic issues why make the fake text and phone call? Why burn her body? The man who set up the fund raiser for the family to help pay for funeral expenses says Romina was "kidnapped, tortured and murdered," Basheer Mustafa said on the page he set up to help her family.

Mustafa, the owner of Quick Pik, the neighborhood's store, knew Romina, because she was polite and friendly when she visited the store. He organized a Sunday fundraiser at a park.

http://www.local10.com/news/service...-was-found-near-dumpster-held-monday/29356176

 

[Indy Anna]

IMO, her killer was known to Romina. He recognized that she took medication; maybe she pleaded with him to let her go because she needed to take medication, so he wanted everyone to be assured her medical needs were being attended to. But, I surmise that he didn't understand the severity of her disease. Also, that he mailed Romina's mother a letter -- and let Romina phone her friends -- just before murdering Romina suggests that he wanted people to believe she disappeared of her own accord so they wouldn't look for her/report her to LE as missing. I'm thinking he's pretty young and didn't realize that a burnt body could be identified.

The communications in Spanish -- were they a signal to her mother and friends that everything was NOT okay? May be a clue that her abductor-killer is Latino? The letter seems coerced, and I believe the phone call was, too, but Romina may have been attempting to send a message of distress the only way she knew how. If she was convinced her abductor didn't understand Spanish, Romina would surely have relayed her distress to her family & friends. Since she didn't do so but communicated in Spanish, I think it's very likely her abductor-killer speaks fluent Spanish. Otherwise, he would not have allowed her to converse with family & friends in Spanish.

I hope LE finds Romina's killer soon and that justice will be served. :rose:

 

[newone]

So if she died from diabetic issues why make the fake text and phone call? Why burn her body? The man who set up the fund raiser for the family to help pay for funeral expenses says Romina was "kidnapped, tortured and murdered," Basheer Mustafa said on the page he set up to help her family.

Mustafa, the owner of Quick Pik, the neighborhood's store, knew Romina, because she was polite and friendly when she visited the store. He organized a Sunday fundraiser at a park.

http://www.local10.com/news/service...-was-found-near-dumpster-held-monday/29356176

my post was based on earlier reports provided in the posts previous to mine. At the time I posted no cause of death had been released.

Your link provides the torture and murder information.

 

[CanManEh]

Maybe they did take her at first for the purpose of traffiking but changed thier mind after finding out she is a diabetic and if she needs insylin on a regular basis just makes for to many complications for them so they decided not to use her and killed her..

 

[Charlie Chan]

There may be DNA on the letter if the killer licked the envelope. I'm sure that LE has/is testing.

 

[bettiepageturner]

I wonder how known that gas station owner is to her family, if at all? That's very nice of him to set up a fund, of course, but.. hm.

 

[margarita25]

This is horrible.

IIRC, there was another case (or two) recently where a teen's body was set on fire...trying to remember...anyone? Tia.

So many cases recently where the perps text from the victim's phones, trying to act like the victims.

 

[Indy Anna]

This is horrible.

IIRC, there was another case (or two) recently where a teen's body was set on fire...trying to remember...anyone? Tia.

So many cases recently where the perps text from the victim's phones, trying to act like the victims.

One recent case is the death of 15-year-old Dominique Allen. Her body was found burning behind a home in Indianapolis. Here is the link to her thread:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...y-of-15yo-girl-found-behind-Indianapolis-home

 

[margarita25]

One recent case is the death of 15-year-old Dominique Allen. Her body was found burning behind a home in Indianapolis. Here is the link to her thread:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...y-of-15yo-girl-found-behind-Indianapolis-home

Thank you!

 

[margarita25]

:bump:

What's the latest?

 

[Indy Anna]

:bump:

What's the latest?

It looks like this is the most recent:

http://www.local10.com/news/service...-was-found-near-dumpster-held-monday/29356176

Nothing new on the investigation and not much news about Romina's murder at all. This is really sad:

< snipped > Romina's family was renting a mobile home, when that wasn't allowed at at the Li'l Abner Mobile Home Park, 11239 NW 4th Terrace, in Miami. Mustafa learned Romina's mom, Andrea Perez, got an eviction letter, as she dealt with the loss of her daughter.

 

[luckyseven]

Arrest Made In Death Of Sweetwater Teen
May 8, 2015 10:06 AM

snip

On Friday, Miami-Dade police arrested 66-year old Armando Botell and charged him with second degree murder in Fernandez&#8217;s death, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.

Botell, who was convicted of a murder in Hialeah in 1980, is being held without bond. Police have not said what led them to charge Botell.

 

[tlcya]

According to a police report, Botell had been providing Fernandez drugs since she was 15. Over time, he &#8220;became obssessed with the victim, eventually paying a friend to follow the victim around.&#8221;
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article20483781.html#storylink=cpy

 

[time]

According to witnesses, Botell admitted to them that he had become physically abusive toward Fernandez and was "emotionally distraught over his obsession with the victim."

Police said cellular tower records showed that Botell's and Fernandez's cellphones were pinging from the same tower the day she was reported missing. They said surveillance video from the shopping plaza also showed Botell's silver Mercedes Benz dumping off the victim's body and setting it on fire.

http://www.local10.com/news/man-arrested-in-death-of-teen-found-burning-in-sweetwater/32887030

..arrested Armando Botell, 66, on a charge of second-degree murder

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article20483781.html

 

[Greater Than]

..arrested Armando Botell, 66, on a charge of second-degree murder

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article20483781.html

Ugh, I know. I guess they don't have proof of premeditation, but I wonder why there isn't at least an additional charge of arson.

I just saw a segment about his arrest on local news. This article has some additional information that hasn't been posted yet:

According to detectives, Botell and Fernandez met up the day she was killed at about 2:30 a.m. in downtown Miami and eventually ended up together in Sweetwater, where the victim lived.

Police said Botell was interviewed by investigators both this month and in February. Witnesses told detectives that Botell became "anxious and nervous" after the February questioning, and asked people to help him flee to South America.

Police said Botell's statements contradicted witness testimony and the cellular tower records that placed him at the scene.

Botell was arrested Thursday, and remains at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on no bond.

http://www.local10.com/news/man-arrested-in-death-of-teen-found-burning-in-sweetwater/32887030

 

[Greater Than]

He had nude photos of her on his phone. Gross.

Armando Botell was so obsessed with a woman almost 50 years younger that he paid someone to stalk her, collected naked pictures of her, physically abused her, and tried to control her by supplying her with the Xanax she desperately craved, police said.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article20534058.html#storylink=cpy