A 40-year-old man is now facing charges in the Oct. 1, 2021 killing of a Little Havana Boost Mobile owner, Miami police said, closing a long-unanswered chapter for the victim’s family. Investigators identified the suspect as Edgar Olivas, who was taken into custody in Orlando and extradited to Miami this week. The victim, Walter Castaneda Sr., was shot outside his store while he was closing up for the night.
On the night of the shooting, Castaneda was found with a gunshot wound to the abdomen outside the Boost Mobile at 443 Northwest 12th Avenue in Little Havana and later died at a hospital, family members told local reporters. Surveillance video from the scene captured a man in an orange hoodie struggling with Castaneda before shots were fired, according to WSVN.
How Detectives Say They Connected The Dots
Miami homicide detectives filed an arrest warrant in December 2021 and say they built their case with a mix of surveillance footage, phone records and vehicle data that allegedly led back to Olivas. According to the warrant, phone communications were tied to a woman who booked a hotel room that investigators say was paid for by Olivas, and surveillance video showed the two at a gas station shortly before the shooting. Detectives also say the white sedan used as a getaway car was reported stolen two days after the killing and that its owner later picked Olivas out of a photo lineup, according to NBC6.
Arrest And Booking
Orlando police pulled Olivas over on Friday, ran his name, and discovered the active Miami warrant, officials said. He was arrested on the spot and later extradited to Miami. "The family is gonna get some closure," Miami Police spokesman Michael Vega told NBC6. Jail records show Olivas was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and is being held without bond.
Castaneda's family had urged witnesses to come forward in the days after the 2021 killing, and his son said at the time that they wanted the shooter found, the Miami Herald reported. Prosecutors will now review the arrest and determine when to formally file charges and schedule court hearings.
