Father of Brickell condo murder victim jailed on restraining order violation: lawyers
Miami police on Tuesday arrested the father of a teen who was stabbed to death by a stranger inside a Brickell condominium in June on a charge of violating a domestic violence injunction.
Jon Ferrell, 50, is accused of contacting his wife and four children in the days before and after his son, Dominic Ferrell, was murdered inside the Airbnb that he and his father were staying at Tower 3 of the Icon Brickell Residences in the early morning hours of June 8.
Ferrell and his estranged wife, Christien Maron, have four children together, including Dominic. Maron obtained an injuction against Ferrell on May 20. It expired on June 10, two days after the murder. The injunction ordered him not to contact Maron or any of the children, according to his arrest report.
Defying the order, Ferrell called and texted each of them several times before and after his son was murdered, and he went to Maron’s home hours after their son was killed, according to the arrest report.
At the time of the murder, Dominic was visiting his father against his mother’s wishes -- and in violation of the injunction -- court documents reveal.
READ MORE: ‘Unexplainable’: Lawyer blames teen’s slaying in Brickell condo on lax security
The elder Ferrell released a statement through his attorney, Matt Weinshall of the Podhurst Orseck firm, Tuesday night responding to his arrest, saying he “strongly denies any accusations of domestic violence.”
“I lost my son, my best friend, and I relive it every night. I’m living a nightmare that keeps getting worse. These charges are absurd and unjust. All I want is to grieve and be a father to my children without being dragged through baseless accusations.”
Weinshall added the claims of violating the injunction “have been orchestrated to damage [Jon Ferrell’s] reputation, adding further hardship to an already unimaginable period in his life. Above all, Jon hopes this matter can be resolved in a way that allows the entire family to find a constructive path forward.”
Ferrell was booked Tuesday night into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on seven counts of violating the injunction, where he remained as of Thursday morning after a judge set a bond of $5,000 and ordered him to wear an electronic monitoring device upon release, according to jail records.
Dominic Ferrell was stabbed with a kitchen knife by 26-year-old Kyrill Kehl at around 2:15 a.m. Kehl went unit to unit checking for unlocked doors before happening upon the Ferrell’s condo on the 34th floor, police say. According to published reports, Kehl was living a nomadic existence prior to the murder, having lived in California and Arizona before moving to Miami in 2024.
Maron has obtained lawyers who are preparing a lawsuit over potential security lapses at Icon Brickell that allowed Kehl to access the building without a required key fob.
Kehl was able to circumvent several layers of security in the building before getting on an elevator and reaching the 48th floor. He then made his way down to where Jon and Dominic Ferrell were sleeping on the 34th floor, police say.
Tower 3 has both condo units, some of which are rented through Airbnb, and hotel rooms. It’s the site of the W Miami Hotel.
After killing Dominic Ferrell, Kehl fell to his death inside at neighboring construction site. Investigators are not sure if his death was intentional or he fell accidentally.
During a press conference in June, Michael Haggard, Christine Maron’s attorney, called the security situation at Icon Brickell “a “colossal failure.”
Haggard said Kehl was in the lobby of the Icon Residences for several hours but was never approached by security. At one point, Haggard said fire rescue treated Kehl, who had been acting erratically.
READ MORE: Teen killed in Brickell stabbing remembered as model student, a friend full of life
“How is no one seeing what is going on, not for 10 minutes, not for 15 minutes with an erratic individual, but for hours at a place like this?” he said. “It’s unthinkable.”
Dominic had just finished his junior year at Miami Beach Senior High School, where he participated in debate and was on the golf team.
He had attended Immaculata-La Salle High School in Coconut Grove his freshman and sophomore years, and was an alumnus of the middle school at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Miami.
This story was originally published September 2, 2025 at 8:46 PM.
