A 25-year-old Chilean transient was arrested Wednesday after deputies say he violently beat to death a long-time resident of the Osceola County motel from which he was evicted earlier in the day.
Osceola County Sheriff's deputies responded to 911 calls around 4 p.m. regarding an armed disturbance at the Quality Inn on Entry Point Boulevard, where witnesses described an assailant using a fire extinguisher to beat a man.
Reports said that upon arrival, deputies encountered Piero Estefano But-Castillo, a Chilean national, actively assaulting the victim, later identified as Robert Krusinowski, 55. Castillo, whose hands were covered in blood, was detained after allegedly aggressively resisting arrest.
Krusinowski, a long-time resident of the hotel known for assisting staff with maintenance tasks, was found unresponsive with severe trauma to his head, face and neck. Osceola County Fire Rescue attempted resuscitation, but Krusinowski succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene just before 5 p.m.
Cell phone footage from a witness and hotel surveillance corroborated the assault, capturing the suspect stomping on Krusinowski while he lay motionless. Before the fatal attack, Castillo had been told to leave the motel and was reportedly been seen smashing windows of occupied hotel rooms on the third floor of the motel. Video footage showed Castillo dragging Krusinowski through a breezeway, repeatedly stomping on and battering him, stopping momentarily, and then reengaging in the assault.
Castillo also allegedly entered an occupied hotel room through a shattered window, where he fought with a Syrian guest before being forced out of the room and resuming his attack on Krusinowski, said reports.
Motel employees recognized Castillo as a former guest who had been staying at the hotel until Wednesday morning when he was asked to check out and not allowed to extend his stay.
Based on the evidence, deputies charged Castillo with first-degree murder, criminal mischief ($1,000 or more), battery on specified personnel and resisting an officer with violence. He made his first court appearance Thursday afternoon at was ordered to be held at the Osceola County Jail on no bond and on an immigration hold.
Sheriff Marcos Lopez said Castillo original came to the United States in 2019 on a student visa, then left the country and returned on Jan. 1 on a tourist visa.
