What began as an investigation into the burglary of a Coral Gables home after its owners were killed in a helicopter crash in Kenya has widened into what authorities describe as a much larger criminal investigation involving suspected identity fraud, stolen vehicles and firearms.
Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak, joined August 28 at a press conference by officials from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Secret Service, Diplomatic Security Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said investigators are still working through boxes of documents, electronic devices and other evidence that may identify additional victims.
“We have basically kicked a beehive of a criminal enterprise,” Hudak said.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle described the investigation as a case “that has many tentacles.”
Police say home was targeted after deaths became public
Henry Parra, 55, and Adam Hlavaty, 42, were among seven people killed Aug. 19 when a helicopter crashed in Kenya’s Samburu County.
Also killed were Telemundo executive José Alberto Suárez, George Stone Crab founder Roger Duarte, Michele Sensi-Contugi, Stephany Hollihan and pilot Josh Outram.
According to police, Geybert Alexander Garcia, 40, and Melany Perdomo, 24, entered Parra and Hlavaty’s Valencia Avenue home sometime between Aug. 20 and Aug. 22 and spent an extended period inside.
Investigators allege the pair took personal and business documents, jewelry, electronics, an art sculpture valued at more than $500,000 and two vehicles — a 2023 Range Rover and a 2020 Porsche Taycan.
Hudak said investigators believe the home was selected only after news of the couple’s deaths became public.
“We believe … the individuals that are in custody, the day that those two people’s identities were put out that they had died, they targeted that house,” Hudak said.
Police have found no connection between the burglary and the helicopter crash itself, he said.
The couple’s housekeeper discovered the break-in Aug. 23.
The following day, a business partner used a phone application to track a stolen MacBook Pro and the Range Rover to a home in the 8300 block of Northwest 195th Terrace in Hialeah, according to police. CBS Miami reported that a neighbor also provided surveillance video showing the suspects leaving the property.
Search of Hialeah home widens investigation
Coral Gables police and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies executed a search warrant at the Hialeah home Aug. 25.
Garcia was found hiding in a closet and Perdomo in an upstairs bedroom, according to authorities. Investigators recovered the stolen vehicles, documents and the Range Rover’s key fob.
A second search warrant executed the following day produced evidence that authorities say pointed well beyond the Coral Gables burglary.
Investigators reported finding materials used to make or alter identification documents, roughly 20 vehicle key fobs and at least a dozen firearms. Two of the guns have been confirmed stolen.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Detective Tiffany Wesley said investigators also found a stolen truck carrying a California license plate. That discovery led them to four additional stolen vehicles, including a Ford F-250 reported stolen in Indian River County in 2022 and later found with an altered vehicle identification number.
Hudak said Garcia faces additional charges stemming from vehicles and firearms recovered at the property.
Garcia and Perdomo are charged with burglary and grand theft and are being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. A judge ordered both to stay away from the Coral Gables home. Jail records show Perdomo is also being held on an immigration detainer.
Their arraignments are scheduled for Sept. 28.
The charges are accusations, and neither defendant has been convicted in connection with the Coral Gables burglary.
Fernandez Rundle said her office is assigning a dedicated team to work with investigators as they determine whether other people were victimized.
Hudak said authorities are still examining what he described as mounds of evidence, including firearms, computers and digital video recorders.
“We have just scratched the surface of this criminal enterprise,” he said.
Defense produces disputed authorization document
The case took another turn at a bond hearing, when Garcia’s attorney presented a notarized document that he said authorized Garcia to enter the Coral Gables home and possess the vehicles, according to WSVN.
A longtime friend of Parra and Hlavaty disputed the document’s validity in court and testified about damage allegedly left at the home, including a dismantled security system and a broken front door and lock, CBS Miami reported.
Hudak said investigators are examining whether the document is authentic.
“I don’t think I’ve ever in my 38 years have somebody have an affidavit from a dead person,” he said.
Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer found probable cause to support the charges against both defendants.
Parra and Hlavaty remembered in Coral Gables
Parra, a U.S. Navy veteran, co-founded Trax USA, a Coral Gables-based aviation software company.
Hlavaty, a real estate and development executive, co-founded Mrkt Group and served on the board of the Coral Gables Museum.
The couple married in 2017 and held their wedding at the Biltmore Hotel.
At last week’s City Commission meeting, Mayor Vince Lago called for a moment of silence for Parra, Hlavaty and the other victims of the Kenya crash.
“This is a tremendous loss for their families and for everyone who knew them,” Lago said.
He described Hlavaty as “deeply connected” to Coral Gables.
“They were part of our community, and I know many people here are hurting and grieving alongside their loved ones,” Lago said.
