A man accused of throwing another man from the 25th floor of a Miami Beach condo building has been granted bond ahead of his murder trial.
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Corey Hutterli, 37, faces charges of second-degree murder and burglary with assault or battery in the death of Justin Zelin.
The alleged incident happened back on Feb. 15 at the Akoya Condominium at 6365 Collins Avenue, where Zelin lived on the 25th floor, an arrest report said.
At a pre-trial release hearing Thursday, a judge granted Hutterli a $150,000 bond, saying she couldn’t rule out that it was an accident or a suicide, and adding that the alleged victim was on drugs.
“My son is innocent and I’m proud to say that he is my son,” mother Terri Hutterli Marino said after Thursday’s hearing. “I’m ecstatic, he’s innocent.”
Miami Beach Police said Zelin, who lived on the building’s 25th floor, had called 911 to report a disturbance in the apartment.
On the call, Zelin was heard repeatedly telling Hutterli to leave, and a struggle could be heard between Hutterli and Zelin, police said.
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A short time later, surveillance video showed Zelin’s body hitting the pavement on the ground floor of the building, an arrest report said.
Investigators later determined a violent altercation occurred between Zelin and Hutterli and that Zelin suffered fatal injuries due to the altercation, police said.
But according to court records, defense attorneys said Zelin had a “complete break with reality,” and was screaming in the 911 call.
They also said during the hearing that Zelin had several hallucinogens in his body when he died, including Fentanyl, ketamine, cocaine, and pink cocaine.
“JZ can be heard ranting, claiming that he was killed by a homeless person, and insisting that he is dead,” the court records said. “During this mental break, JZ ran in and out of the apartment, and then he went over the balcony of his 25th floor condo and fell to his death.”
Hutterli has been jailed since his arrest in April.
“We’re very grateful for the time that the court gave us and obviously that we were heard and the court agreed that proof is not evident, presumption is not great. There’s no evidence that he did this whatsoever and we’re hoping that the state will reconsider and dismiss the charges,” defense attorney Jayne Weintraub said after Thursday’s decision. “There is no evidence to support any of the arguments that the state made, it’s based on speculation.”
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The next hearing in the case is set for July 6.