The high-profile manslaughter case against a Mexican actor accused of throwing a fatal punch in a fit of road rage is moving through the Miami-Dade court system, and it's heartening to see that telenovela actor Pablo Lyle is not receiving special treatment.
A Miami judge on Wednesday ruled that Lyle, 32, can't go back to Mexico and must remain in Miami to await trial in the death of 63-year-old Juan Ricardo Hernandez. Keeping Lyle in Miami _ just as you would any other foreign defendant facing such serious charges _ was the right call by Circuit Judge Marlene Fernandez-Karavetsos.
Back in August, Lyle's attorneys asked another Miami-Dade judge to drop the manslaughter charges against the actor and grant Lyle immunity from prosecution under Florida's Stand Your Ground self-defense law. Circuit Judge Alan Fine denied the motion _ another correct call. The matter is currently on appeal.
It's all part of Lyle's efforts to avoid prosecution, and his attorneys have every duty to fight for their client and get him the best deal. That's understood.
But Lyle has a serious problem. We saw what he did on video.
Many South Floridians are unfamiliar with the up-and-coming actor's smoldering work on telenovelas such as "Mi Adorable Maldicion." But we have now seen one of his most riveting on-camera performances: Lyle's March 2019 attack on Hernandez was captured on surveillance video from a nearby gas station on Northwest 27th Avenue.
The video shows Lyle being driven to the airport by his brother-in-law, who cut off Hernandez. Hernandez then pulled up behind Lyle's car, jumped out and stormed up aggressively to the driver's side window, slamming it with open hands.
Then Hernandez, whose actions may have been perceived as threatening, retreats back to his car in traffic.
Then we see Lyle, his long hair flowing, jump out of the passenger seat of the car he was in and chase down Hernandez, who by then was by his own car's door. Lyle runs nine steps to reach Hernandez, raises his arm and punches Hernandez with brutal force. Hernandez drops to the ground.
What did Lyle and his group do as Hernandez lay in on the pavement? They U-turned, drove past him and headed on to the airport.
Hernandez suffered a traumatic brain injury and died four days later at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
What a sad, senseless tragedy.
After he returned to Miami, Lyle told police he went after Hernandez because: "I thought I was defending my family," he said.
At a hearing last week, Lyle's team asked that the actor be allowed to return to Mexico for work, promising he would return for court hearings and a trial.
In her decision, Fernandez-Karavetsos wanted to guarantee that Lyle does not skip town and dodge responsibility for his actions in Miami.
Miami-Dade prosecutor Rachel Morales-Gellis agreed. She said the state was worried that under an international treaty, Mexico could refuse to extradite Lyle. "Our main concern is that it would be difficult to return Mr. Lyle, if not impossible," Morales-Gellis said. Plus, it's not hard to envision his return becoming a political football.
Since he was charged, Lyle has been living in Miami on house arrest, under court supervision.
Lyle, regardless of status, should not receive special treatment. He doesn't deserve it. Let's hope our judges stand firm in making sure no favors are granted to this celebrity.
