Recently unveiled surveillance footage sheds light on the events preceding the tragic death of Miami biotech executive Justin Zelin, who was reportedly thrown from his high-rise apartment balcony.
The footage, shared by NBC Miami, captures Zelin entering the Akoya Condominium on February 12, accompanied by a bearded individual in a bucket hat, identified as suspect Corey Hutterli.
Hutterli is accused of pushing Zelin from the 25th-floor balcony three days later, following a disturbance recorded during a 911 phone call.
Attorneys for Hutterli have told Oxygen that he is innocent, asserting that Zelin accidentally fell while experiencing a “psychotic break.”
Additional footage from police body cameras, also obtained by NBC Miami, reveals the scene officers encountered when they found Zelin’s lifeless body on the ground outside the condominium.
“Violent” Struggle Allegedly Captured on 911 Call Before Justin Zelin’s Death
Zelin had dialed 911 at approximately 10:22 a.m. on February 15 to report a “disturbance” in his apartment, according to a statement from police reported by People.
During the call, Zelin allegedly can be heard referring to Hutterli by the alias “Sasha” and asking him to get away from him, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the outlet.
Police said the sounds of a “violent” struggle were captured on the call. Then eight minutes into the 911 call, per the affidavit, security camera footage from the condo building captured Zelin “striking the pavement.” The 35-year-old died of blunt force trauma.
Prosecutors contend in court documents obtained by Oxygen that Hutterli killed Zelin “by pushing or otherwise causing him to fall over the balcony.” He’s also accused of entering Zelin’s apartment “without the consent of Justin Zelin” for the purpose of carrying out a burglary and “made an assault or battery” on Zelin during the course of the alleged burglary, per the court records.
Police Allegedly Found Corey Hutterli at the Apartment in an “Excited State”
When officers arrived, they allegedly saw Hutterli leaving the apartment without any shoes “in what appears to be an excited state,” according to the affidavit also obtained by NBC Miami.
”What’s going on?,” Hutterli allegedly asked an officer. “Somebody, he freaked out, attacked me.”
Hutterli then allegedly told the officer, per the report, that he didn’t know where Zelin was, adding that he “kept telling him to relax.”
Police said he later asked an officer, “Did he jump?”
During a phone call captured on body camera footage, Hutterli allegedly told his mother that Zelin had asked him to leave the apartment and that he was doing so when the incident occurred, according to the affidavit.
However, when officers searched the apartment, they found Hutterli’s sandals on the balcony along with a small smudge of blood on the railing, according to the affidavit. Investigators also found his bucket hat on the couch and what they believed to be pieces of his beard hair scattered throughout the living room.
Detectives noted in the affidavit that Hutterli appeared to be missing clumps from his beard, had a laceration to his right thumb, scratches on his cheek as well as a small cut to his left hand. They also found droplets of blood on his shirt and jacket, authorities said.
Hutterli was arrested in April and is now facing charges of second-degree murder and burglary with assault or battery in connection to Zelin’s death, according to court records obtained by Oxygen.
Hutterli’s defense attorneys Jayne Weintraub and David Tarras have maintained his innocence.
“While the death of a young man is always tragic, there is absolutely no evidence that Corey Hutterli pushed Justin Zelin or caused his fatal fall from the balcony,” they said in a statement to Oxygen. “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.”
Hutterli was expected to appear in court for a bond hearing June 3, WPLG reported.
