William Serrano Domenech, 49, is being held in a Miami-Dade County jail in connection with the Aug. 17 killing of Raul Aballe, 42, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.
In a statement to News Outlet, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin pointed to Domenech’s criminal record while criticizing his prior release from immigration custody. “He has a rap sheet a mile long, with prior convictions in Florida and Michigan for drug trafficking and illegal possession of a firearm, as well as prior arrests in New Mexico and Tennessee for aggravated assault, theft, and resisting arrest,” Mullin said. “This dangerous criminal should have never been in our country, and had it not been for the Biden Administration releasing him from ICE custody in 2023, Raul Aballe would still be alive.”
William Serrano Domenech, 49, an illegal immigrant from Cuba with an extensive criminal history, is accused of fatally shooting a man during an argument in the Miami area, according to the Department of Homeland Security. (ICE, Department of Homeland Security)
Authorities said Domenech, a Cuban citizen, was spending time with a witness on the night of the shooting when Aballe arrived and an argument broke out. The confrontation soon escalated, with Domenech allegedly punching and slapping Aballe, investigators said.
Domenech then allegedly pulled a firearm from a fanny pack and fired, hitting Aballe in the stomach. Aballe was rushed to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
After the shooting, Domenech allegedly left the scene but was taken into custody the following day. Authorities said he later admitted to the killing and claimed he had been jealous of Aballe’s relationship with the witness.
The witness reportedly told detectives that Aballe was unarmed and had not started the physical altercation.
Domenech faces charges of second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, filed a detainer with Miami-Dade authorities one day after his arrest.
His criminal history spans at least four states for a litany of offenses, DHS said. That includes a conviction for a weapons offense and arrests on charges of vehicle theft, burglary, driving without a license, and driving with a suspended license in Florida, as well as prior arrests on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and bribery of a witness in New Mexico.
In addition, Domenech has prior arrests for unlawful possession of a weapon, resisting arrest, and theft in Tennessee, and convictions for possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute an unknown quantity of marijuana, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, and felon in possession of a firearm in Michigan, authorities said.
Domenech allegedly told authorities he entered the United States through Florida in 1995. A deportation order was issued by a judge in 2002.
However, when ICE took him into custody in 2023, he was released back onto the streets by the Biden administration, DHS said.
“ICE has lodged a detainer and will work with our partners in Florida to ensure that this killer is never again allowed back onto our streets,” Mullin said.
