Mother of victim in fatal boating accident disappointed DJ Laz won't be charged

Maricel Valdez believes South Florida celebrity is responsible for May 2014 accident

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A heartbroken mother is reliving the boating accident that killed her son after learning the celebrity deejay who was operating the boat will not be charged.

Ernesto Hernandez's mother, Maricel Valdez, fought back tears as she addressed the media with her attorney Friday.

"It's just not right," Valdez said. 

Valdez can't believe that DJ Laz, whose real name is Lazaro Mendez, will not be charged after her son died in last May's boating accident off Key Biscayne for which she believes Mendez is responsible.

The accident happened nearly a year ago when a Voli vodka party boat operated by Mendez got stuck on a sandbar.

Hernandez, 23, and several others tried to push it free, but a propeller clipped his upper body and he died at the scene.

Several officers claimed that Mendez declined sobriety tests, but they noted that he did not look like he had been drinking that day.

After further investigation, the state attorney's office determined that there was "insufficient evidence to prove that he was under the influence of alcohol to the extent that his faculties were impaired."

Despite the decision, Hernandez's family attorney Carlos Silva explained that they are still moving forward with a civil lawsuit. 

Mendez released the following statement in response to the ruling: "My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the Hernandez family as they continue to heal from the loss of Ernesto from the sad, tragic day."

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