MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A man facing a murder charge was taken into custody by Miami Beach police on Wednesday.
Authorities say Corey Hutterli, 37, of Parkland, is accused of killing a man by throwing him off the balcony of a 25th floor apartment.
The incident occurred on Feb. 15 at the Akoya Condominium located at 6365 Collins Ave. on Mid-Beach.
According to an arrest report, the victim, who has been identified as Justin Zelin, called 911 at 10:22 p.m. and could be heard by dispatchers repeatedly saying “get away from me Sasha,” which police said was Hutterli’s nickname.
During the call, police said Zelin suddenly stopped communicating but the line remained open, where a struggle could be heard, as could Hutterli.
At 10:31 p.m., responding officers arrived to the building and went to the unit regarding the 911 call just as Hutterli was attempting to leave “in what appears to be an excited state” and was only wearing socks while “seen physically sweating and out of breath,” the report states.
Police said at first, Hutterli spontaneously began making statements to police, including, “What’s going on? Somebody, he freaked out, attacked me” and then later when officers asked where the victim was, Hutterli stated, “He went to the elevator man, what the f---, I’m all beat up” and then inquired “What is the situation? Did he jump?”
According to an arrest report, officers allowed Hutterli to call his mother, a conversation that was captured on body camera footage, and during the call police said Hutterli could be heard saying that he was leaving the apartment because Zelin told him to leave, but police noted that around nine minutes had passed from when Zelin was demanding Hutterli to leave during the 911 call to the moment officers arrived and Hutterli was still there, indicating he had time to leave.
Police said when officers reviewed surveillance footage, it showed Zelin striking the pavement outside the building at 10:30 p.m., meaning only one minute had passed from that moment to when officers arrived and Hutterli was seen trying to leave the apartment, despite the 911 call being made and the demand to leave being heard nine minutes prior.
After obtaining a search warrant, police said they found signs of a struggle inside the unit that led to the balcony, and that the balcony doors were left open. Police said they also found Hutterli’s sandals on the balcony and blood on the balcony railing, which officers said coincides with where Zelin’s body fell from.
During their search, police said they located Zelin’s cellphone that placed the 911 call on the bathroom floor, as well as pieces of Hutterli’s beard that were seen “scattered throughout the living room.”
When searching Hutterli’s personal items, police said they found more pieces of his beard hair inside his backpack “as if he was attempting to both retrieve and conceal evidence from the scene,” according to an arrest form, as well as a bag of Ketamine inside the pocket of a jacket that was also inside the backpack.
Ultimately, investigators said a combination of the 911 call, the evidence of a struggle that included the beard hair, a cut to Hutterli’s right thumb, scratches on his arm and the statements he made to police, they arrested him for second degree murder.
Hutterli’s attorney calls the case purely circumstantial.
“There is no eyewitness (to) any alleged act that causes the deceased death,” said attorney David Sobel. “No statements or admission for Mr. Hutterli acknowledging any criminal conduct, no direct evidence establishing how or by whom the fatal injuries were inflicted.”
Authorities said Hutterli was already out on felony bond. He is also facing charges of burglary with assault or battery, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
As of Thursday morning, Hutterli was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bond listed as “to be set.”
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