Man accused of killing 5 in Miami expressway crash caught on video pleads not guilty

Prosecutors on Monday filed upgraded charges against Maiky Simeon, the Miami motorist accused of driving drunk when he killed five people in a one-way wreck on the Palmetto Expressway.

Simeon, during Monday’s brief arraignment, pleaded not guilty to five counts of DUI manslaughter. He’s also charged with five counts of vehicular manslaughter.

He did not appear at Monday’s court hearing, but pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Albert Levin. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Diana Vizcaino has ordered Simeon be held in jail without bail before trial.

The arraignment came five days after the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office revealed that Simeon’s blood alcohol content level was nearly double the legal limit. A toxicology test on blood drawn at the hospital showed Simeon’s alcohol content level of .152, while the legal limit in Florida is .08.

It was on early on Aug. 20 when Simeon’s 2018 silver Infiniti Q50 drove up the off-ramp of the Palmetto, past oncoming cars, switched lanes and then plowed directly into a Honda driving westbound. Five young people inside, ages 18 to 25, all died. Simeon had to be extricated from his car and was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Those killed in the violent wreck: Giancarlo Arias, Daniella Marcano, Valeria Peña, Briana Pacalagua and Valeria Cáceres.

Video surveillance, released by the state on Friday, shows the Infiniti driving the wrong way on the off-ramp, then hitting the Honda at full force. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the car was traveling at 80 miles per hour up until the impact.

This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 10:54 AM.