Arrest Made In Murder Of Barry University Student
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - An arrest has been made in the murder of a Barry University student whose body was found on a Miami Street.
Jaime Luis Plasencia, 18, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Priscilla Torres, who's from Naples, but was attending Barry University.
During Plasencia's court appearance, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer read the chilling details of Torres' death.
"A witness heard the woman screaming, followed by the gunshots and then after that they saw the dark, four-door vehicle circle around the victim, fire two additional shots from inside the vehicle into the victim," said Judge Glazer. "He knew the victim. There's surveillance video of him entering the victim's room at Barry University and leaving with her."
In the early morning hours of February, 10th, Torres was shot near NW 29th Avenue and 12th Street.
A witness told police he heard a woman screaming and then two gunshots. He said a four-door dark-colored vehicle circled around her and shot Torres twice more. The driver then sped off.
Torres, 19, was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where she died.
At the time of her death, police say, Torres didn't have a wallet or phone on her. They were able to identify her after her mother reported her missing.
On Tuesday, February 13th, Miami Gardens police were dispatched to a vehicle fire at Myrtle Grove Elementary, located at 3125 NW 176th Street. The vehicle belonged to Torres.
During the course of the investigation, friends and classmates said that Torres was friendly with someone named "Jaime" and they were able to provide a description of him.
Investigators say surveillance video showed someone matching Jaime's description walking with, entering, and exiting Torres dorm room right before she was killed.
Further investigation revealed that Jaime was 18-year-old Jaime Plasencia.
During questioning, Plasencia told investigators that he hadn't seen, spoken to or texted Torres since January.
However, cell sites, phone records, and text messages indicated that Torres picked up Plasencia on February 10th at about 2:30 a.m.
Surveillance video shows them arriving at Torres' dorm a few minutes later and leaving an hour and a half later.
Police say Torres was shot at around 4:30 a.m.
Torres' Sunpass records show her white Nissan Sentra traveled north after the shooting. Torres cell phone records revealed a similar northern path.
Police say a tip to Crime Stoppers in March indicated that it was Plasencia who killed Torres and torched her car at the school.
Plasencia was interviewed by the police a second time on June 4th. He was then arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
He's being held in jail with no bond.
