Teens face robbery, murder charges after man run over by car in Homestead

Second teen arrested Thursday in connection with November incident

Liliana Chayova and Adam Roman face robbery and murder charges.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. ā€“ Liliana Chavoya has beenĀ in jail since January. She is accused of murder but claimsĀ she is innocent.Ā 

A few weeks after her 18th birthday on Nov. 26, she was drivingĀ a blue Chrysler 300 in Homestead. Detectives believeĀ AdamĀ Roman and two others were inside the car with her.Ā 

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Chavoya stopped at the S&B Food Mart at 1644 N. Krome Ave. Inside the store, surveillance video shows Roman got into an argument with two brothers, who had left a relative'sĀ house party to buy beer, police said. A man intervened.Ā 

Roman left the store and got back in the car. The brothers left walkingĀ along North Krome Avenue. Detectives believe Roman wasn't done with them and asked Chavoya to follow them.Ā 

Detectives believe Roman, who had just turned 17 years old Nov. 3,Ā and the two brothersĀ met again after midnight in the parking lot of the Rio's Beauty Salon at 1232 N. Krome Ave.Ā 

Chavoya told police officers she never got out of the car when she stopped at 13th Street and North Krome Avenue, two blocks away from the store. She said her passengers Roman and the two others beat the brothers.Ā They also took their cellphones and a wallet, police said.Ā 

Chavoya said she then drove into the parking lot and the three passengers got back inside the car, according to police. When she tried to leave, she ran over one of the brothers who "became wedged underneath" the car, police said.Ā 

Detectives believe Roman tried to remove the man, but when he couldn't do it, he told Chavoya to step on the gas. Chavoya "quickly accelerated the vehicle until it passed over" the man, police said.Ā 

Homestead Police Department officers found the brother who survived yelling hysterically. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel determined one brother was dead about 1 a.m. and took the other, who was injured, to Homestead Hospital.Ā 

Dr. Brittany Glad, from the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office, reportedĀ Nov. 26 that the cause of the man's death was multiple blunt injuries.Ā Chavoya said the man was already dead when she ran him over.Ā 

Detectives did not identify the victims. Court records show Roman has a stay-away order against Juan Elias. Chavoya turned herself in and was arrested Jan. 24. Roman was arrested Thursday and is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Chavoya and Roman face charges of second-degree murder. On Jan. 28, ChavoyaĀ submitted a written plea of not guilty andĀ demanded a trial by jury, court records show. HerĀ trial hearing is May 20.Ā Ā 


About the Author:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.