Florida man accused of fatally striking mother with wine bottles and stabbing her
06/30/2023 11:58 am PDT
NORTH MIAMI, Fla. (TCD) -- Police arrested a 36-year-old man this week on suspicion of fatally beating and stabbing his 64-year-old mother.
According to a news release and affidavit from the North Miami Beach Police Department, on Sunday, June 11, at approximately 9:13 p.m., officers responded to an apartment near the 3700 block of Northeast 169th Street, where they found Connie Cuesta deceased. At the scene, officers met with the victim’s spouse and the victim’s son, Sean Cuesta, who were outside the home.
The victim’s spouse reportedly told officers he discovered his wife unconscious on the master bedroom floor with "no shirt and her pants lowered to her knees," and she was "cold to the touch."
According to police, the spouse called a family friend, who went to the home and also saw Connie Cuesta’s body.
A neighbor reportedly told police that on June 11 from around 10 a.m. until the early evening, he heard "loud banging and yelling" coming from the family’s apartment. Police said the neighbor alerted the victim’s spouse about the noises and called law enforcement.
On June 12, police interviewed Sean Cuesta, noticing "visible scratches on his arms and a laceration to his forehead."
Cuesta had reportedly lived with his mother on and off for many years, and he had been staying with her for the past several weeks.
According to police, Cuesta told investigators he was with his mother all day on June 11, and he left sometime between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to buy food.
Police allege, however, that Cuesta and his mother got into an argument that eventually turned physical. Cuesta allegedly threw items inside the apartment before striking his mother in the head with blunt objects, including empty wine bottles that were found by the victim’s body.
Police noted that one of the empty wine bottles had a "towel wrapped around the neck," which "ultimately resulted in the victim’s death."
After hitting his mother, Cuesta allegedly used a knife to stab her four times in the temple. Police reportedly recovered the knife, which was found in Cuesta’s backpack.
According to the affidavit, the victim’s extensive injuries caused her to bleed "excessively" onto the floors of the living room and master bedroom. Cuesta allegedly tried to clean up the blood with a towel and rag before he showered and fled the scene.
The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner determined the victim suffered blunt force trauma, which lacerated her organs, causing internal bleeding.
Following his interview with police, Cuesta reportedly went to his aunt’s home. Police said his aunt became concerned about his behavior and called police, who transported Cuesta to Citrus Health Facility.
On June 16, police said Cuesta’s aunt went into the North Miami Police Department Station and told investigators that on June 12, Cuesta called her from a gas station landline and said, "I killed my mother."
Cuesta was released from the health facility on June 16, and police took him into custody on Thursday, June 29.
Cuesta was booked into the Miami-Dade County Jail on charges of second-degree murder, battery by strangulation, and aggravated battery. He remains held without bond.
MORE:
TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page for podcasts, exclusive videos, and more, and don’t forget to follow us on TikTok.
