David Contreras, accused of killing son in Kendall, appears in bond court – NBC 6 South Florida
A father accused of shooting his son in Kendall on Friday appeared before a judge in bond court Sunday for the first time since his arrest.
According to the Miami-Dade Police affidavit, 52-year-old David Contreras “shot the victim multiple times for unknown reasons. The defendant then called the police and told them that he had shot the victim, who was his son.”
The shooting happened around 2 p.m. Friday near the intersection of SW 106th Street and SW 84th Avenue. Eric Contreras, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene.
“This is just a very tragic situation,” defense attorney Frank Quintero Jr., one of three attorneys representing David Contreras, told NBC6 by phone after Sunday’s hearing. “The victim is the son of the defendant and the victim has suffered from severe emotional and mental illness and we are still trying to figure out what happened and why it happened.”
But the victim’s fraternity brothers at Florida International University (FIU), where he was a student, remembered him as “a caring man” who “lit up every room he was in.”
Presiding Judge David C. Miller read aloud in the courtroom Sunday the charge of second-degree murder with a weapon and noted that there would be no bail.
“The court is right,” Quintero said. “This is a non-bailable offense at the moment. We need to have an Arthur hearing before the judge in charge. Therefore, there is really not much the court can do at this time and in this situation.”
Contreras was heard only twice throughout the proceedings – once when he was addressed by the judge and second when he was asked to confirm by attorney Quintero.
“Not every judge has the same politics. Some judges require a defendant in a situation like this to wait 21 days to see what charges, if any, prosecutors will file, which could eliminate the need for a bail hearing,” Quintero told NBC6. “I don’t yet know who the judge in charge of this case is and I would have to call his chambers to find out what their approach is to each of these types of events.”
