Hialeah

Late rent payment leads landlord to kill tenant in Hialeah

Reineiro Caballero Espino (pictured) was charged by Hialeah police with first degree murder and armed robbery in the shooting death of his tenant, Ramon Emilio Gutierrez Castillo, Saturday afternoon.
Reineiro Caballero Espino (pictured) was charged by Hialeah police with first degree murder and armed robbery in the shooting death of his tenant, Ramon Emilio Gutierrez Castillo, Saturday afternoon. Miami Dade Corrections

Ramon Emilo Gutierrez Castillo was overdue with the April rent on his Hialeah apartment to the tune of $550, according to his landlord.

That man, Reineiro Caballero Espino, went to collect on Saturday afternoon.

The result left Castillo, 46, dead and Espino, 76, charged with first-degree murder.

According to Hialeah police, after Espino went to Castillo’s efficiency apartment, the two argued. Castillo went inside his unit and locked the sliding glass door to prevent his landlord from entering.

Espino walked back to his residence, adjacent to Castillo’s efficiency, and returned with a gun. Espino fired toward the glass door, shattering it and causing glass to strike Castillo in the hip. The argument then escalated into a physical confrontation, and Espino got off a shot that struck Castillo in the face, killing him inside his apartment.

Police said Espino provided a recorded statement admitting to his actions. His charges include armed burglary, and he was carted off to jail.

Howard Cohen: @HowardCohen

This story was originally published April 17, 2016 at 10:14 PM with the headline "Late rent payment leads landlord to kill tenant in Hialeah."

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