MIAMI – Mexican telenovela star Pablo Lyle, 32, was released on bail Tuesday and is now on house arrest in Miami following the death of a man he punched during a road rage incident.
On Monday, prosecutors requested that he be held in lieu of a $1 million bond following the death of 63-year-old Juan Ricardo Hernandez.
He is currently charged with battery, but the state is considering whether to now charge him with second-degree murder.
Lyle's attorneys argued that their client can't afford a $1 million bond and is a good man who has been cooperative in the investigation.
"This isn't a murder case and the prosecutor should stop saying that it's a murder investigation. They know it's not a murder investigation," defense attorney Phil Reizenstein told reporters.
The judge ultimately ordered Lyle held in lieu of a $50,000 bond and be placed on house arrest with a GPS monitor is he posted bail.
Lyle was handcuffed and taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center after his bond was set. A woman, identified as Hernandez's fiancee, fainted in the courtroom after the hearing and was treated by first responders.
Surveillance video captured the March 31 road rage incident at Northwest 27th Avenue and Northwest 14th Street.
According to authorities, Lyle was in the passenger seat of a red SUV heading to Miami International Airport when the SUV appeared to cut off a blue car driven by Hernandez.
Hernandez, apparently upset, gets out his car at the red light and approaches the driver, the video shows.
The driver gets out and the pair exchange words as the SUV rolls toward the intersection.
The driver dashes back to catch the car when the actor gets out of the passenger seat, goes toward Hernandez and throws a punch that knocks the man out of frame onto the street.
Lyle then gets back in his car full of family members and the driver makes a U-turn, and they leave the scene.
Lyle's attorneys claim the surveillance video has been sped up.
Hernandez, who suffered a head injury, was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he later died, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.
A witness who snapped a picture of the license plate helped lead police to the airport where Lyle and the driver surrendered.
The driver has not been arrested in the case and it's unclear whether he will face charges.
According to authorities, Lyle claims he threw the punch because he feared for his family's safety after Hernandez approached their vehicle and pounded on the window.
Lyle's next court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.