Miami Beach Kidnap-Slaying Suspects In Court
4 Orlando-Area Men, 1 Teen On Suicide Watch
POSTED: 5:23 p.m. EDT April 30, 2002
UPDATED: 5:36 p.m. EDT April 30, 2002
MIAMI -- 
Four men and a 16-year-old boy were formally charged Tuesday in the shooting death of a Miami teenager and the attempted murder of her boyfriend following a late-night weekend stroll along South Beach.
A criminal affidavit said one of the assailants shot 18-year-old Ana Maria Angel to death while her boyfriend, Eddy Nelson Portobanco, also 18, nearly had his throat slit by one of the men and was "left for dead" along Interstate 95.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle said "generally, this is the kind of case where ... prosecutors would ask for the death penalty," but added that no decision had been made.
Abe Laeser, a prosecutor handling the case, said the evidence would likely be presented to a grand jury within two weeks. Investigators have said the teens did not know their attackers and called it a random act of violence.
Authorities charged the five with one count each of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, and two counts each of armed robbery and armed kidnapping.
Angel's body was found Monday tossed into the bushes along I-95 in south Palm Beach County. Police have said information obtained from the suspects led them to her body.
Prosecutors would not reveal whether there was any evidence of sexual assault or whether any of the men had confessed to the attack. But they said investigators were still gathering evidence that could lead to additional charges.
The suspects (pictured at right) are Cesar Antonio Mena, 22, of Kissimmee; Joel G. Lebron, 23; Victor Manuel Caraballo, 34; and his younger brother, Hector Manuel Caraballo, 29, and 16-year-old Jesus Torres Roman, all of Orlando. All five were placed on suicide watch Monday.
All five were held without bond. Three of the four adult defendants waived their appearances in bond court on Tuesday. Mena appeared in the court and officials revealed that he was the driver of the truck.
The four adults were scheduled to appear Wednesday before Circuit Court Jerald Bagley, where their attorneys will be officially appointed. The lawyers, who have already been selected, did not immediately return phone calls Tuesday seeking comment. One attorney met with the judge on Monday, to be dismissed as the attorney for one of the men because he already represents another defendant. Court rules do not allow attorneys to represent more than one defendants whose defenses do not match.
Roman waived his appearance in juvenile court. Circuit Judge William Johnson ordered the boy held in secure detention and that he undergo a psychological evaluation. Robin Faber, Roman's lawyer, did not immediately return a phone call.
Family members said Angel and Portobanco (pictured left) were marking five months of dating Saturday with dinner at a restaurant near Biscayne Bay and a walk along South Beach. The couple had spent the previous weekend at a party at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
The affidavit said the defendants forced the teens into a white Ford pickup truck and stole jewelry and other possessions at knife and gunpoint. Police said two transactions were later made with Angel's ATM card at downtown Miami gas stations early Sunday.
Portobanco was beaten and dumped along Interstate 95 in suburban Fort Lauderdale, only a few miles from where his girlfriend's body was later found. The report said two men took him out of the truck and one of the defendants "attempted to cut his throat."
Portobanco flagged down a passing motorist and was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released.
Angel was taken a few miles north from Portobanco's location, taken out of the truck and fatally shot with a revolver. The report did not indicate the identity of the shooter. Investigators with the Palm Beach County medical examiner's office, which was handling Angel's autopsy, did not return phone calls.
Angel, an honor student and former soccer captain, had moved with her mother from Medellin, Colombia, in 1990 to escape the violence of drug trafficking and random bombings. Angel's father still lives in Colombia.
Angel's family in Colombia was planning to travel to Miami in June to watch her graduate from high school. Instead, several family members left for her funeral, which was scheduled Wednesday at St. Dominic Catholic Church in Miami.
A makeshift memorial was erected outside the Angel's Miami home Tuesday, as Ana Maria's friends and classmates came to the house with food and other supplies to help her grieving mother.
Margarita Osorio is consumed with grief at the loss of her daughter. "I'm not holding up," she told WTVJ News on Tuesday. "I'm already dead. All I ask from God now is that he bring my death as soon as possible."
Osorio said she hopes her daughter's tragic death serves as a message to other teens to be aware of life's dangers.
On Tuesday the owner of the Vior Funeral Home in Miami said his company will offer his services free of charge for Ana Maria's funeral.
George Inveio said it was the least he could do. "I saw the story on the news that happened to this family," Inveio said. "We thought it was a tragedy. We decided to donate the whole funeral service, so we can help this family out (in) any way we can."
Part 2: Slain Teen's Family Moved To Florida To Escape Violence In Colombia
Four men and a 16-year-old boy were formally charged Tuesday in the shooting death of a Miami teenager and the attempted murder of her boyfriend following a late-night weekend stroll along South Beach.
A criminal affidavit said one of the assailants shot 18-year-old Ana Maria Angel to death while her boyfriend, Eddy Nelson Portobanco, also 18, nearly had his throat slit by one of the men and was "left for dead" along Interstate 95.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle said "generally, this is the kind of case where ... prosecutors would ask for the death penalty," but added that no decision had been made.
Abe Laeser, a prosecutor handling the case, said the evidence would likely be presented to a grand jury within two weeks. Investigators have said the teens did not know their attackers and called it a random act of violence.
Authorities charged the five with one count each of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, and two counts each of armed robbery and armed kidnapping.
Angel's body was found Monday tossed into the bushes along I-95 in south Palm Beach County. Police have said information obtained from the suspects led them to her body.
Prosecutors would not reveal whether there was any evidence of sexual assault or whether any of the men had confessed to the attack. But they said investigators were still gathering evidence that could lead to additional charges.
The suspects (pictured at right) are Cesar Antonio Mena, 22, of Kissimmee; Joel G. Lebron, 23; Victor Manuel Caraballo, 34; and his younger brother, Hector Manuel Caraballo, 29, and 16-year-old Jesus Torres Roman, all of Orlando. All five were placed on suicide watch Monday.
All five were held without bond. Three of the four adult defendants waived their appearances in bond court on Tuesday. Mena appeared in the court and officials revealed that he was the driver of the truck.
The four adults were scheduled to appear Wednesday before Circuit Court Jerald Bagley, where their attorneys will be officially appointed. The lawyers, who have already been selected, did not immediately return phone calls Tuesday seeking comment. One attorney met with the judge on Monday, to be dismissed as the attorney for one of the men because he already represents another defendant. Court rules do not allow attorneys to represent more than one defendants whose defenses do not match.
Roman waived his appearance in juvenile court. Circuit Judge William Johnson ordered the boy held in secure detention and that he undergo a psychological evaluation. Robin Faber, Roman's lawyer, did not immediately return a phone call.
Family members said Angel and Portobanco (pictured left) were marking five months of dating Saturday with dinner at a restaurant near Biscayne Bay and a walk along South Beach. The couple had spent the previous weekend at a party at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
The affidavit said the defendants forced the teens into a white Ford pickup truck and stole jewelry and other possessions at knife and gunpoint. Police said two transactions were later made with Angel's ATM card at downtown Miami gas stations early Sunday.
Portobanco was beaten and dumped along Interstate 95 in suburban Fort Lauderdale, only a few miles from where his girlfriend's body was later found. The report said two men took him out of the truck and one of the defendants "attempted to cut his throat."
Portobanco flagged down a passing motorist and was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released.
Angel was taken a few miles north from Portobanco's location, taken out of the truck and fatally shot with a revolver. The report did not indicate the identity of the shooter. Investigators with the Palm Beach County medical examiner's office, which was handling Angel's autopsy, did not return phone calls.
Angel, an honor student and former soccer captain, had moved with her mother from Medellin, Colombia, in 1990 to escape the violence of drug trafficking and random bombings. Angel's father still lives in Colombia.
Angel's family in Colombia was planning to travel to Miami in June to watch her graduate from high school. Instead, several family members left for her funeral, which was scheduled Wednesday at St. Dominic Catholic Church in Miami.
A makeshift memorial was erected outside the Angel's Miami home Tuesday, as Ana Maria's friends and classmates came to the house with food and other supplies to help her grieving mother.
Margarita Osorio is consumed with grief at the loss of her daughter. "I'm not holding up," she told WTVJ News on Tuesday. "I'm already dead. All I ask from God now is that he bring my death as soon as possible."
Osorio said she hopes her daughter's tragic death serves as a message to other teens to be aware of life's dangers.
On Tuesday the owner of the Vior Funeral Home in Miami said his company will offer his services free of charge for Ana Maria's funeral.
George Inveio said it was the least he could do. "I saw the story on the news that happened to this family," Inveio said. "We thought it was a tragedy. We decided to donate the whole funeral service, so we can help this family out (in) any way we can."
Part 2: Slain Teen's Family Moved To Florida To Escape Violence In Colombia
Copyright 2002 by NBC6.net The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
