Guatemalan immigrant Virgilio Aguilar, accused of the "natural" death of the police officer who arrested him, was released on Friday in Baker County, Florida, after being imprisoned for almost ten months, his lawyer Phillip Arroyo reported on social media.
[A police officer died of natural causes after arresting a migrant and they accuse him “blatantly”]
Arroyo shared a video with the description "Virgilio Aguilar finally FREE! God is great", in which he is seen walking alongside Aguilar, 19 years old and of indigenous origin.
In the recording, the young man is seen smiling.
He wears shorts, sandals and a long-sleeved shirt, and carries two paper bags in his hands.
"Today is a beautiful day," Arroyo said in statements to local media News4JAX after the release.
"Despite the injustices that Virgilio experienced, he was in prison for almost ten months, today he is finally released from federal custody. It was a long road to get here."
Virgilio Aguilar and his lawyer in a video shared by Phillip Arroyo on his TikTok account.Phillip Arroyo
At the beginning of March, authorities reported that they dismissed the charges against Aguilar, who was arrested at the end of May 2023.
[Charges are dropped against Virgilio Aguilar, the Guatemalan accused of the “natural” death of the police officer who arrested him]
Arroyo assured that the case should have been filed "a long time ago," that his client "is happy" and that they hope the young man will be reunited with his family soon.
The case of Aguilar, who does not speak Spanish or English, sparked outrage on social networks and involved users, activists and even celebrities such as businesswoman and reality television star, Kim Kardashian, who demanded his release.
"Recent expert testimony regarding the defendant's inability to understand the English language, his cultural background, and concerns about his intellectual capacity have raised important issues for consideration in the case," the state attorney's office said in a statement in early March.
"Furthermore, based on the court's recent ruling that the defendant is incompetent to proceed," based on expert testimony, "
the charges are dismissed. Arrest and time served (in prison) are sufficient." ".
In the video of his arrest, the young man is heard telling the officers: "
I'm sorry, I don't speak English
. "
One decides to register him and Aguilar resists;
Several officers struggle with him and one shoots him in the leg with a Taser.
Aguilar, who only speaks Mam, an indigenous Mayan dialect, was charged with aggravated manslaughter and another felony count of resisting arrest after Sergeant Michael Paul Kunovich of the St. Johns County Sheriff's Department collapsed following the incident.
"He suffered a massive heart attack and died," Arroyo told Noticias Telemundo.
Last June a forensic report determined that the sergeant's death was "natural."
Kunovich suffered from hypertension and cardiovascular disease that caused a cardiac arrhythmia, which was influenced by the effort he made to stop the young immigrant.