ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — 9 Investigates is uncovering new details in the arrest of a man wrongfully accused of murder.
Channel 9 obtained hundreds of pages of newly released documents that show how DNA initially pointed to Yesnin Salvado Bonilla-Iscoa for the 2023 murder of a woman stabbed to death in her car.
A nearly 300-page document released by the state attorney’s office details how a communal kitchen knife used by Bonilla and the now accused murderer, Luis Narvaez, led to the DNA confusion.
Yesnin Bonilla’s family says that for months, Bonilla was painted as a killer.
Bonilla’s father spoke exclusively with Channel 9 to clear his son’s name.
“My son is a good person and a hard worker,” said Freddy Bonilla in Spanish, “I’m speaking to clear his name. Because this was a mistake, and he didn’t do anything.”
On Monday, Channel 9 obtained an audio recording of Bonilla’s in-custody interview with detectives taken after his arrest.
Yesnin Bonilla expressed confusion and desperation, telling detectives he couldn’t understand how he got mixed up in a murder case during the 2-hour interview.
“I would never kill a person. How could I do that. I don’t understand what’s happening,” said Bonilla, in the Spanish interview.
According to Orange County deputies, Bonilla’s phone was the last to call the victim, Maria De Los Angeles Paulino.
Plus, his DNA was found on the murder weapon, a knife used to stab Paulino 16 times.
According to detectives, Yesnin admitted to knowing the victim because he had previously purchased drugs from her, but he told detectives on the night of the murder that his roommate, Luis Alfredo Narvaez, was with her and admitted to killing her.
Deputies said a DNA sample was taken and later confirmed that Luis’ blood matched the blood found in the car where Maria was murdered.
According to detectives, Narvaez ultimately confessed to killing her.
“Even though there’s DNA that may be at the scene of the crime, that doesn’t necessarily mean the person whose DNA was left behind is the killer, and that’s precisely what this shows,” said Criminal Defense Attorney Thomas Fighter, with Fighter Law.
Bonilla’s Father told Channel 9 his whole family suffered for months as Yesnin was labelled an accused killer.
According to Freddy Bonilla, Yesnin came to this country from Honduras to work and provide for his wife, who’s now expecting a child.
Feddy Bonilla told Channel 9, his son Yesnin was released from jail and had been living in Texas with his wife, however he was recently picked up by ICE and faces deportation.
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