Why was case dropped against Miramar cop accused of strangling girlfriend? Accounts differ
On the same day of the trial, Miami-Dade prosecutors dropped charges against a Miramar police officer accused of strangling his girlfriend during a heated argument over their relationship status.
Prosecutors announced Monday that they were no longer pursuing a case against 24-year-old Orlando Marrero. In December, Marrero had been charged with domestic battery by strangulation and strong-arm robbery.
At the time of the incident, Marrero had been with the department for a year. He remains relieved of duty without pay pending the outcome of his internal affairs investigation, spokesperson Tania Ordaz confirmed.
Miramar Police Chief Derlish Moss said the department “takes incidents of this nature very seriously” and is “dedicated to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability within our department.”
Why were the charges dropped?
In a memo obtained by the Miami Herald, prosecutor Daisy Delgado disclosed that the state attorney’s office opted to drop the charges because Marrero’s former girlfriend didn’t appear in court despite receiving multiple subpoenas. She also wasn’t answering the phone.
“The State had no other choice, but to dismiss the case because the victim, an essential witness, failed to appear for trial and previous mandatory subpoenas,” Delgado said.
The memo details that prosecutors asked Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Lody Jean for an extension due to the issues contacting the victim. Court records indicate that Jean denied their request twice.
“My client was ready for trial. The state wasn’t,” attorney Stephan Lopez told the Miami Herald. “We knew the victim was going to tell the truth of what happened that day, and the officers can’t refute that.”
The victim, in a sworn statement provided by Lopez, said “things got out of hand” on the day of the incident. She reported that she never told police that Marrero tried to rob her — and that she was providing the statement on her own volition.
According to the filing, the victim informed the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office in February that she didn’t want to pursue the case further. She also indicated that Marrero hasn’t contacted her but she wished to have the stay away order against him removed.
“Things got out of hand and didn’t get reported properly,” Lopez said. “A lot of things that happen in a split second are perceived to be a certain way, and that’s not how it happened.”
A breakup quarrel?
The argument between Marrero and his then-girlfriend of nine months, the arrest report states, began when he said he wanted to break up and move out just before Christmas. The scuffle escalated when Marrero’s girlfriend slammed a computer mouse on the floor, breaking it.
Marrero, his girlfriend told investigators, then grabbed her by the throat, strangling her to the point she began to see “stars,” the report says. The woman also told police that Marrero placed her in a headlock after she struggled to get away from him.
The fight continued, the report states, until authorities were called to the Hialeah home by an off-duty Medley police sergeant who witnessed part of the struggle. The off-duty officer separated the couple.
Marrero’s girlfriend, a responding officer noted in the report, had bruises on her arms and scratch marks around her shoulder blades.
