Summary: A Miami man was able to provide a solid alibi to get him free of a murder accusation, even if the alibi was a little peculiar.
Elias Cadoza, 21, was accused of murdering Carlos Rodriguez-Martinez in a drive-by shooting. Miami detectives received a testimony from Adela Santos, 18, admitting to being the car with Cadoza when he shot and killed the victim. She was a friend of his family so her testimony was believable.
However, Cadoza had a solid abili which was backed up by a paramedic. On the night of the shooting, Cadoza was at home calling 911 for his sister, who was having extreme vaginal discomfort. This call was unusual for the paramedics, so unusual that they remembered it months later, providing the testimony to get Cadoza out of jail.
Defense lawyer Jean-Michael D’Escoubet said, “The paramedic clearly remembered Elias, who wanted to get into the ambulance with his sister. He also remembered Elias’ speech impediment.” Cadoza was forced to walk the mile to Jackson Memorial Hospital to meet his sister where the two waited for hours for her to be discharged from the emergency room the next morning.
The Miami-Dade state attorney’s office waited to formally charge Cadoza, knowing something wasn’t right about the case. They knew that the victim and a friend had left a corner store, walking near Third Street along Northwest Eighth Avenue. A gray Chevrolet drove up where an argument ensued between the two men and the people in the car. Someone in the car opened fire, even exiting the car to shoot the victim more.
The police tracked down the Chevy and Santos. She implicated Cadoza, a middle-school dropout that does odd jobs to support his family. Cadoza was arrested in November and held in jail until his alibi was confirmed months later. He always denied being involved.
D’Escoubet explained, “We believe she was trying to cover up for her boyfriend, who was the real shooter.” Santos has been charged with accessory after the fact to murder. She is also accused of committing a number of burglaries in unrelated cases.
Do you think Cadoza should have been held in jail that whole time when there was no other indication that he was the shooter or was violent? Tell us in the comments below.
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Photo: flickr.com