Charges Dropped for Guatemalan Migrant Accused in Florida Deputy's Death
The case against Virgilio Aguilar Mendez, a 19-year-old migrant from Guatemala accused of aggravated homicide of a Florida police officer, has been dismissed due to concerns about his intellectual capacity and recent ruling finding him mentally incompetent to stand trial. Aguilar Mendez, who primarily speaks the indigenous language Mam, was arrested after a struggle with the officer, who later died of a heart attack. His lawyer argued that he comes from a poor family and was raised in a home with a dirt floor, and that his mental incompetence is due to his lack of understanding of the American criminal justice system. Despite the dismissal of state charges, he will remain in federal custody pending deportation proceedings.
