Recent Examples of Domestic Violence Cases in Florida

April 30, 2024 Don Pumphrey, Jr. Criminal Defense, Domestic Violence, Violent Crimes Social Share

When a person is harmed by the hands of a significant other, family member, or other member of their household, they can press charges for domestic violence. Often confusing due to the various offenses that fall under “domestic violence,” this is a category of crimes where harm is inflicted, either in one instance or through repeated, abusive conduct against a victim the suspect is close to.

This page will explain what classifies as a domestic violence offense, along with recent data and case examples of this unlawful behavior in Florida.

What Classifies as a Domestic Violence Offense?

Domestic violence is not a specific crime but encompasses an umbrella of crimes that are committed against a family or household member. It is considered a form of abuse that can take shape in any of the following behaviors:

1. Physical abuse in the form of hitting, pushing, slapping, or putting physical force on a family or household member;
2. Sexual abuse in the form of any unwanted sexual conduct with a family or household member;
3. Emotional abuse in the form of name-calling, never-ending criticism, or damaging relations with a family or household member’s friends or other family members;
4. Psychological abuse in the form of intimidation, inducing fear, threatening physical harm to the victim or another family member; or
5. Technological abuse in the form of controlling, stalking, or harassing a person by monitoring their technological devices.

Florida Statute Section 741.28 provides that any of the following criminal offenses are considered an act of domestic violence when the alleged victim who experiences physical injury or death is a family or household member of the defendant:

• Assault / Aggravated Assault
• Battery / Aggravated Battery
• Domestic Battery by Strangulation
• Sexual Battery
• Stalking / Aggravated Stalking
• Kidnapping / False Imprisonment

Additionally, any criminal offense that results in the physical injury or death of a family or household member is considered domestic violence. You can find out more about domestic violence in our informative page here. 

Data on Domestic Violence in Florida

According to the Department of Children and Families (DCF), around 22-25% of women across the nation will experience some form of domestic violence at some point in their lives. Annually, there are over 10 million adults who experience some form of domestic violence, with 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men dealing with sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner that causes them to fear for their safety.

Relating to Florida specifically, there were 106,615 reported cases of domestic violence in 2020. The following table represents the statewide reported domestic violence offenses by type from 2020, as provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE):

Example Cases

The following lists three recent cases in Florida that resulted in domestic violence charges:

• July 2023 – A women claimed that a Hialeah man she dated for eight months committed acts of domestic violence when he held her hostage overnight. According to the local report, Kyle Castanaza is accused of an incident in July 2023 where he hit his ex-girlfriend in the knees, grabbed her by the hair, kicked her in the stomach and arms, and hit her in the face while holding her hostage until she could escape and ask a neighbor for help. Castanaza has since been charged with three felony offenses: Kidnapping, false imprisonment, and witness tampering. He is also facing one misdemeanor charge of battery. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Carmen Cabarga denied the defendant bond on the kidnapping charge, further ordering him to stay away from the victim. For his other charges, Cabarga set the defendant’s bond at $11,100.
• November 2023 – A suspect with an already lengthy arrest record was apprehended again in Miami-Dade after new allegations of domestic violence. According to a local report, Spencer Manosalva was accused of attacking his former live-in girlfriend on November 27, 2023 in Cutler Bay. The arrest report indicated that the victim suffered from lacerations on her lip, bite marks on her fingers, a nosebleed, and swelling to the head from the incident with Manosalva. The ex-girlfriend claimed that the two were in an argument that she was attempting to leave when the defendant “grabbed her neck, squeezed it until she fainted, and hit her when she woke up before he grabbed her again by the neck and threw her onto a mirror.” He has since been charged with kidnapping, strong-arm robbery, domestic battery by strangulation, and battery. He was previously arrested for a separate battery charge in September 2023, but the charges were later dropped by prosecutors.
• March 2024 – A man in Miami is facing a multitude of charges from two cases in Miami-Dade due to allegations of domestic violence. Police were informed when a women showed up to the Jackson Memorial Hospital’s emergency room where she said she had experienced “horrific domestic violence.” According to the local report, the woman claimed that she had been physically and sexually abused by her then-boyfriend, Kenneth Hubert. Hubert told police that the two were only “friends with benefits” but he had known the victim for around four years. Their version of the night’s events differed from one another—Hubert claimed that he “usually” had a firearm clipped to his boxers, but the girl claimed he showed the gun in a threatening manner, saying he would shoot her several multiple times. Both asserted that Hubert’s behavior stemmed from him being annoyed at the woman texting. The victim told police that Hubert snatched her phone and began strangling her “until his 2-year-old son walked in.” Later, the victim says that Hubert grabbed her by the neck again and when she refused to have sex with him, he raped her. The following is a statement from responding Officer Jessica Nardoni:

“She [victim] went to the bathroom and realized she had blood in her urine and blood clots. She grabbed her phone and walked outside. [Hubert] woke up and went outside after her, grabbed her, pulled her back inside the house…He [then] slapped her on the face and reached for his firearm.”

The victim was finally able to escape when Hubert went inside to take a phone call. After the victim reported the instance of domestic violence to law enforcement, Hubert was arrested. He denied any wrongdoing, claiming that his sister was in a car accident that night and he had been at the hospital to visit her, therefore leaving the victim home alone. After his arrest and appearing in court, Hubert is facing charges for two cases in Miami-Dade County court. One of the cases has the following felony charges: Sexual battery with a deadly weapon causing serious injury, three (3) counts of aggravated battery with bodily harm involving a firearm, kidnapping, robbery by sudden snatching, two (2) counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and two counts of domestic battery by strangulation. The three charges stemming from the other case include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, carrying a concealed firearm, and resisting an officer without violence.

To read about more domestic violence cases in Florida, you can read our page here.

Contact the Defense Attorneys with Pumphrey Law

Criminal cases with an allegation of domestic violence can be complex, therefore requiring the legal representation and guidance of a skilled defense lawyer. Unfortunately, there can be instances where accusations of domestic violence are made for personal gain in a civil, family proceeding. However, law enforcement in Florida will continue to take every allegation of domestic violence very seriously. That means if you were arrested for a domestic violence act that you know to be exaggerated or false, you should seriously consider hiring a defense attorney with Pumphrey Law.

Our defense team understands the nuances of criminal law and how to accurately defend our clients. We can provide you with a free consultation where we review your case details and form a plan of defense. To discuss your options with an experienced attorney, contact Pumphrey Law Firm today at (850) 681-7777.

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