Corey Hutterli was charged with second-degree murder and burglary with assault or battery in connection with Justin Zelin's death
Credit: NBC 6 South Florida/YouTube
NEED TO KNOW
- New surveillance video obtained by a Miami outlet showed biotech executive Justin Zelin entering his condo with Corey Hutterli three days before Zelin’s death
- Zelin fell 25 feet to his death from the balcony of his condo after calling 911 about a disturbance; Hutterli was subsequently charged in connection with his death
- Corey Hutterli was charged in the incident, though his attorneys argued that Zelin’s death was a result of an accident and not a crime
New surveillance footage shows a biotech executive walking into his apartment building with the suspect who would later be charged in connection with his death.
Video obtained by NBC 6 South Florida showed executive Justin Zelin walking into the Akoya Condominium at 6365 Collins Avenue with the suspect Corey Hutterli, just three days before Zelin's death.
In the clip, Zelin and Hutterli could be seen walking side by side on Feb. 12. The biotech executive could be seen carrying food and a drink, while Hutterli followed behind him carrying a bottle.
Just three days later, Zelin fell 25 floors from his apartment in the Akoya Condominium to his death, Miami Beach police confirmed to PEOPLE.
Police said in a statement that they received a 911 call from Zelin reporting a "disturbance" inside his apartment prior to the incident.
Zelin can be heard asking a man — alleged to be Hutterli and referred to on the call as "Sasha" — to get away from him, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.
While the 911 call was ongoing, investigators alleged in the affidavit that they could hear a "violent" struggle between the two.
Eight minutes into the 911 call, security camera footage from Zelin's high-rise residential building showed him "striking" the ground floor. Police determined he died from blunt force trauma.
Responding officers allegedly found Hutterli leaving the building in "an apparent distressed and agitated state" without any shoes on, Miami Beach police said. He was reportedly shocked upon seeing officers, and later asked if Zelin, who he claimed attacked him, had jumped from the building, according to the affidavit.
Investigators determined blood found on his shirt matched Zelin's DNA, which eventually led to his arrest. He was charged with second-degree murder and burglary with assault or battery, according to online court records reviewed by PEOPLE.
Hutterli appeared in court on Tuesday, June 2, where his defense attorneys argued that Zelin's death was not a crime but an accident, per NBC 6.
Credit: Miami Beach Police
They said that he had been a guest at Zelin's apartment and had been sleeping on the couch when the biotech executive had a “mental break” and “ran in and out of the apartment” before he “went over the balcony of his 25th floor condo and fell to his death."
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“There is absolutely no evidence that Corey Hutterli pushed Justin Zelin or caused his fatal fall from the balcony," defense attorneys Jayne Weintraub and David Tarras said in a statement to NBC 6.
"When the full facts and circumstances come to light, it will be clear that Justin Zelin was suffering from a psychotic break with reality as evidenced on the 911 call. We will demonstrate in court that Corey was not responsible for Justin's death in any manner,” they added.
Hutterli, who has been jailed since April, has an upcoming hearing scheduled on June 3 as he seeks a pretrial release, per NBC 6.
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