MIAMI _ The Mexican actor charged with manslaughter for throwing a fatal punch during a road-rage confrontation in Miami won't be allowed to return to Mexico to await trial.
A judge on Wednesday ruled that Pablo Lyle, 32, can't return to his native country.
The reason: Under an international extradition treaty, Mexico can opt to not return Lyle if he decides to skip trial.
"There is no assurance that Mexico would agree to return (Lyle) to the United States," Circuit Judge Marlene Fernandez-Karavetsos wrote in her order released Wednesday.
The actor is claiming self-defense for throwing the punch that killed 63-year-old Juan Ricardo Hernandez on March 31. In an incident captured on jarring surveillance video, the unarmed Hernandez suffered a traumatic brain injury and died four days later at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Lyle was the star of the Mexican telenovela "Mi Adorable Maldicion," or "My Adorable Curse," and now acts in movies. His legal case has drawn widespread coverage in Spanish-language media, particularly in Mexico, where he was an up-and-coming actor. He also stars in a Netflix drama called "Yankee."
The actor is in for a long period of legal wrangling before he ever goes before a jury.
In August, a Miami-Dade judge refused to grant Lyle immunity from prosecution under Florida's Stand Your Ground self-defense law. His legal team is now appealing the decision to the Third District Court of Appeal, a process that could take months.
Since he was charged, Lyle has been living in Miami on house arrest, under court supervision.
At a hearing last week, Lyle's team asked that the actor be allowed to return to Mexico, promising he would return for court hearings and a trial.
"He is a celebrity in Mexico. This is not a man who will be in hiding," attorney Bruce Lehr told the judge.
But prosecutor Rachel Morales-Gellis said the state was worried that Lyle would eventually refuse to return, and Mexico might refuse to extradite him.
"Our main concern is that it would be difficult to return Mr. Lyle, if not impossible," Morales-Gellis said.
