ORLANDO, Fla. — The man accused of shooting and killing a young Orlando father on his drive to work in January may soon bail out of jail.
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Judge Jenifer Harris set murder suspect Nicholas Carrasquillo bond at $100,000 with conditions including no fire arms and no driving.
The bond conditions include no contact with Alex Sligh’s family, no firearms, and he cannot drive.
“It doesn’t seem right. It doesn’t seem fair. He gets to go home and enjoy his family while we had a memorial service for our nephew who was just driving to work,” said Debby Bouton, Alex Sligh’s aunt, who was at the hearing along with Sligh’s grandparents.
Carrasquillo is now claiming he shot Sligh out of self-defense. This is despite the fact, investigators and even Carrasquillo say, Alex Sligh never got out of his car and never pulled out a weapon.
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Orlando Police charged the 26-year-old with murder after officers say he shot and killed Alex Sligh in an argument along Colonial Drive outside downtown Orlando.
Carrasquillo told police he was cut off by Sligh so he flashed his lights and honked his horn. Sligh didn’t move when the light turned green. Carrasquillo then pulled out his gun, yelling at Sligh to move.
Carrasquillo claims Sligh said “you’re going to have to shoot me first,” during the dispute that lasted just 51 seconds.
Investigators say Carrasquillo could have driven around Sligh in the left or right lane. However, his attorney said Carrasquillo felt “trapped.”
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Carrasquillo also claims he witnessed Sligh lean toward the passenger seat and look around. That’s when investigators say Carrasquillo shot a warning shot at the ground, and three seconds later, shot five times toward the car, hitting Alex in the head.
“He told my client ‘You’re going to have to shoot me to get out of here.’ Obviously, my client reacts to that and that’s why he fired his shots,” said defense attorney Deborah Barra.
Barra argued Carrasquillo should have never been charged with murder, citing Florida’s Stand-Your-Ground law. The State Attorney’s Office said this is clearly a murder case, not self-defense. “The law is clear. You can’t unload a clip if they cut you off in traffic,” the prosecutor said. “This is not self-defense!”
When asked what would have happened if he never honked his horn, Carrasquillo told investigators he thinks Sligh would have just driven away. The state says Carrasquillo was the clear aggressor.
Carrasquillo is pleading not guilty.
As of Friday afternoon, Carrasquillo had not bailed out of Orange County Jail, according to the jail site.
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