MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Suspect Arrested in High-Speed Crash That Killed Married Couple
A 38-year-old man, Joel Ricardo, was arrested Monday by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) in connection with a deadly crash on February 4 in southwest Miami-Dade that claimed the lives of a married couple, Bairon Omar Garcia Bol and Marta Isabel De Leon Lopez.
The couple, married for 36 years, was killed when Ricardo, allegedly driving over 100 mph, collided with their vehicle in the Westchester neighborhood, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of Bird Road and Southwest 88th Court. According to family members, Garcia Bol and De Leon Lopez were returning home from a nearby pharmacy. Investigators say Garcia Bol was driving a red Toyota Corolla eastbound on Bird Road and attempting a left turn onto northbound Southwest 88th Court when Ricardo, in a black Ford Expedition, sped westbound through the intersection at an excessive rate.
Surveillance footage captured the SUV smashing into the Corolla’s front right side with devastating force, causing the smaller vehicle to spin counterclockwise, overturn, and come to rest in the westbound lanes after traveling approximately 316 feet from the impact point. At least one occupant was ejected, and both Garcia Bol, the driver, and De Leon Lopez, his front-seat passenger, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Data from the SUV’s event data recorder revealed Ricardo was traveling at 106 mph five seconds before the collision and 86 mph at impact—more than double the posted 40 mph speed limit. Troopers noted signs of impairment when they encountered Ricardo at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, reporting slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and the smell of alcohol on his breath.
He refused a voluntary blood draw and declined to provide a statement after receiving his Miranda rights. FHP later secured a warrant, and a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue paramedic drew his blood in an ambulance outside the hospital in the early hours of February 5.
Witness accounts and a photographic lineup confirmed Ricardo was driving the SUV. A post-crash inspection of both vehicles on February 10 and data extracted from the SUV on February 18 by FHP Cpl. Ruben Gutierrez corroborated the excessive speed and reckless operation that led to the fatalities. Following a weeks-long investigation, authorities concluded Ricardo’s actions directly caused the deaths.
Ricardo was taken into custody just before 3 p.m. Monday at FHP headquarters. During a bond hearing Tuesday, his defense argued the victims bore some responsibility for failing to yield to oncoming traffic.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer rejected the claim, stating, “If he’s going 77 over the limit, I don’t know if they’d be able to see him coming.” Noting Ricardo’s apparent lack of remorse in court, she added, “His speech was slurred and his eyes appeared to be bloodshot [after the crash]. From looking at him right here, he doesn’t seem to care one bit about what’s going on.”
Ricardo faces two counts of vehicular homicide in a reckless manner and remains jailed at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $50,000 bond with Level 3 house arrest. Additional charges may be filed pending blood test results, which were obtained nearly seven hours after the crash via warrant. The investigation remains ongoing.
