MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A man accused of driving more than 100 mph before causing a crash that left a couple dead in southwest Miami-Dade last month has been arrested, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
Authorities said Joel Ricardo, 38, was taken into custody Monday by the Florida Highway Patrol in connection with the Feb. 4 crash that killed Bairon Omar Garcia Bol and his wife, Marta Isabel De Leon Lopez.
Family members say the couple, who were married for 36 years, were heading home from a nearby pharmacy when the crash occurred around 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of Bird Road and Southwest 88th Court, in the Westchester neighborhood.
According to investigators, Ricardo was behind the wheel of a black Ford Expedition traveling westbound on Bird Road at an “extremely high rate of speed” when he approached the intersection.
At the same time, FHP said Garcia Bol was driving a red Toyota Corolla eastbound on Bird Road, preparing to make a left turn onto northbound Southwest 88th Court.
Surveillance video obtained by Local 10 News showed Ricardo’s SUV barreling through the intersection, slamming into the front right side of the Corolla with violent force.
Investigators said the impact caused the Corolla to rotate counterclockwise and overturn, eventually stopping in the center of the westbound lanes. They said the impact ejected at least one person from their vehicle.
Investigators determined the vehicle traveled approximately 316 feet from the point of impact before coming to rest.
They said Garcia Bol and De Leon Lopez, who was in the front passenger seat, were both pronounced dead at the scene.
Speed, alcohol possible factors
According to information retrieved from the SUV’s event data recorder, Ricardo was driving at 106 mph just five seconds before the collision and was still traveling at 86 mph upon impact — more than double the posted speed limit of 40 mph.
Troopers investigating at the hospital noted signs of impairment, the report stated.
An officer reported that Ricardo’s breath smelled of alcohol, his speech was slurred, and his eyes appeared bloodshot.
Authorities said he refused a voluntary blood draw and declined to give a statement after being read his Miranda rights.
FHP later obtained a search warrant for his blood, which was drawn by a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue paramedic inside an ambulance outside HCA Florida Kendall Hospital in the early morning hours of Feb. 5.
Authorities said further investigation supported witness accounts that Ricardo was in control of the SUV at the time of the crash. A witness identified him in a photographic lineup, confirming he was behind the wheel moments before the impact.
Investigators conducted a post-crash inspection of both vehicles on Feb. 10, which confirmed their initial findings regarding the severity of the crash.
On Feb. 18, FHP Cpl. Ruben Gutierrez extracted data from Ricardo’s SUV, confirming his excessive speed in the moments leading up to the crash. according to the report.
Following weeks of investigation, FHP found that Ricardo’s “reckless operation” of his SUV and excessive speed caused the deaths of Garcia Bol and De Leon Lopez.
They said Ricardo was arrested Monday at FHP’s headquarters just before 3 p.m.
In bond court Tuesday’ Ricardo’s defense team suggested that the victims shared some responsibility for the crash.
“The alleged victims failed to yield right of way to oncoming traffic,” Ricardo’s attorney argued.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer quickly dismissed that claim.
“Well, if he’s going 77 over the limit, I don’t know if they’d be able to see him coming,” she said.
“His speech was slurred and his eyes appeared to be bloodshot. From looking at him right here, he doesn’t seem to care one bit about what’s going on but I don’t know him and maybe that’s just how he is,” Glazer added.
A blood draw was eventually taken nearly seven hours after the crash after investigators obtained a warrant.
Jail records show Ricardo is facing two counts of vehicular homicide in a reckless manner.
Glazer stated that he could be facing additional charges if his test results show that he was under the influence at the time of the crash.
As of Tuesday, he remains in custody at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $50,000 bond and has been placed on Level 3 house arrest.
