MIAMI – A Miami-Dade judge had pointed words for a man accused of attacking a Miami Beach doctor, denying him bond Friday.
Judge Alberto Milian called the attack “vicious” and says nothing he’s seen so far leads him to believe it was “legally” or “morally” justified.
Until he sees that evidence, he said Ventura Perez del Castillo, who turned 20 on Christmas Eve, will remain in jail pending trial.
“This is what I see: a completely vicious, violent attack that’s completely unprovoked,” Judge Milian said.
And for that reason, Milian said his ruling stood. Perez del Castillo will stay in jail.
Police said security cameras captured the then-19-year-old slamming Dr. Steven Silvers, a longtime OB-GYN, to the ground at Mount Sinai Medical Center, seriously injuring the doctor on Oct. 14.
Perez del Castillo reportedly showed up at the doctor’s office to confront Silvers, 69, about a medication he had prescribed to his mother.
During a previous hearing, Christina Perez testified that medicine was an opioid painkiller, which was triggering because of her sister’s battles with addiction.
“The standard here is whether or not there are reasonable conditions of release that could be afforded to a first-time offender with no prior record, that’s been in jail for two and half months that is entitled by statute to a bond,” Peter Heller, Ventura Perez del Castillo’s lawyer, said.
Heller argued that supervised release, along with stay-away orders, should be granted, saying that Perez del Castillo was provoked.
“He had no intent to hurt the guy, it was just to get him off of him. It’s the doctor that seems, from what we can glean, and based on what his testimony would be, the doctor was harassing him, and he should’ve stayed in his office,” Heller said.
The judge strongly disagreed.
“I don’t see the doctor restraining him. I don’t see the doctor tying him up. I don’t see the doctor handcuffing him,” Milian said. “I see your client charging out of the elevator like a bull and taking this doctor up and slamming him on the ground.”
Milian told Heller could re-file a bond modification. But the judge suggested that an appeals court would probably stand by his ruling.
Jail records show Perez del Castillo was being held in the Metrowest Detention Center as of Friday.