A chilling incident unfolded in Miami Beach, Florida, as a biotech executive met a tragic end after reportedly being thrown from a high-rise condominium. Justin Zelin, aged 35, was found lifeless on the pavement outside the Akoya Condominium building on the morning of February 15. The authorities determined that his demise resulted from blunt force trauma, allegedly due to being pushed from his 25th-floor apartment balcony.
Surveillance cameras captured Zelin entering the condo building just three days before his death, accompanied by Corey Hutterli, a 37-year-old man now charged with second-degree murder in connection with Zelin’s death. According to reports from Local 10 News, Hutterli was seen carrying several bottles of alcohol.
Further unsettling footage, obtained by NBC South Florida, captured the horrifying moment Zelin fell to the ground beside the towering building, followed by a man approaching to check on him.
Adding to the grim narrative, body camera videos documented the moment when police officers discovered Zelin’s body lying on the ground. This shocking development has left the community grappling with the details of the case as the investigation continues.
Another video obtained by NBC South Florida showed Zelin falling to the ground next to the high-rise building before a man went to go check on him.
Chilling body camera footage then caught the moment police officers stumbled upon Zelin’s body on the ground nearby.
Authorities now say Zelin had called police to report a ‘disturbance’ inside his apartment just moments before he tumbled to the ground.
In the call, Zelin could be heard saying, ‘Get away from me Sasha,’ which prosecutors say is an alias Hutterli used.
Justin Zelin, 35, a biotech executive, was found dead on the pavement outside the Akoya Condominium building the morning of February 15
Surveillance footage showed him walking into his condominium building three days before with 37-year-old Corey Hutterli – who is now facing second degree murder charges in connection with Zelin’s death
Surveillance footage later showed a man rushing to check on Zelin after he hit the pavement
By the time officers responded to the scene, they allegedly found Hutterli leaving Zelin’s apartment sweating and out of breath in what authorities said ‘appears to be an excited state,’ according to CBS News.
He was wearing socks but no shoes at the time, officers noted in a police report.
‘What’s going on? Somebody, he freaked out, attacked me,’ Hutterli allegedly told the officers outside the apartment.
When one of the cops then asked Hutterli if he was alone, he responded, ‘No, I don’t know where he is, I kept telling him to relax,’ the arrest report claims.
But Hutterli later asked officers, ‘What is the situation? Did he jump?’
The suspect was detained at the scene, and was allowed to call his mother in a conversation caught on police body camera footage in which Hutterli claimed he was leaving the apartment after Zelin asked him to get out, according to the report.
Officers who then entered Zelin’s apartment found it in disarray, with Hutterli’s sandals found on the balcony along with what appeared to be a small smudge of blood on the railing.
Clumps of what appeared to be Hutterli’s beard hair were also found scattered in the living room and his bucket hat was found on a couch.
An ensuing investigation also found that Hutterli’s backpack also contained a large chunk of his beard hair and a jacket with a small baggie of ketamine in the pocket.
Authorities say Hutterli and Zelin got into a physical altercation, during which Hutterli hurled Zelin off the balcony
Zelin fell from the balcony of his condo on the 25th floor of the high-rise (pictured)
At the scene, police said, Hutterli wouldn’t speak with a detective who noticed he had a cut on his right thumb, a small cut on his left hand, scratches on his cheek and bicep and several patches of his beard were missing.
Small droplets of suspected blood were also found on Hutterli’s shirt and the jacket he was wearing when he left the apartment, which investigators later found matched Zelin’s DNA, according to PEOPLE.
Based on the evidence, investigators now believe Hutterli and Zelin got into a physical altercation during which ‘Hutterli caused for victim Zelin to perish due to blunt force trauma from descent of height (victim’s apartment located on 25th floor).’
But in court documents, Hutterli’s lawyers claim he was an overnight guest at Zelin’s apartment – and awoke to find the biotech executive suffering from a mental break.
‘In the morning, JZ came out of his bedroom screaming at Hutterli, who had slept on the couch in the living room,’ the court documents say, according to NBC South Florida.
Hutterli’s lawyers now claim he had been Zelin’s overnight guest when the biotech executive had a mental breakdown
After just a few seconds, Hutterli’s lawyers said, Zelin called 911.
‘Initially, JZ sounds calm and coherent with the 911 operator. However, after a few seconds, for no apparent reason, JZ starts screaming in what could only be described as a complete break with reality,’ the lawyers claim.
‘JZ can be heard ranting, claiming he was killed by a homeless person and insisting that he is dead,’ they continued.
‘During the 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 was then left ‘in an obvious state of shock,’ so he grabbed his belongings and left the apartment, when he was confronted by the police officers, his lawyers said.
The suspect was ultimately arrested on April 8, just one day after he turned 37.
He has been held at Metrowest Detention Center without bond ever since, as he faces charges of second degree murder, burglary with assault or battery, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use.
But he is now seeking pre-trial release, and is due back in court on Wednesday.
Friends remembered Zelin as a hard worker and a ‘big presence in the Jewish community’
They said they would like Zelin to be remembered for more than how he died
In the meantime, Zelin’s friend Amit Jolly said he wants him to be ‘memorialized for so much more than just the final moments of his life.
‘He was quite a big presence in the Jewish community, a big presence in the biotech community,’ Jolly told Local 10. ‘What he has done in terms of his line of work has saved many lives.’
On social media, Jolly also remembered Zelin as ‘one of the best biotech analysts I have ever worked with.
‘His work was rigorous, thoughtful and deeply coordinated,’ he wrote following his friend’s death. ‘He had a rare ability to see around corners and articulate complex ideas with clarity and conviction.
‘Our field has lost an extraordinary mind, and many of us have lost a trusted voice and friend.’
