A 28-year-old Miami man is facing a second-degree murder charge after police say he repeatedly punched another man during an argument on a downtown Miami street last month, leaving the victim with injuries so severe he never recovered. The victim died Monday, weeks after the October altercation at North Miami Avenue and 11th Street.
Anthony David Lizardo was arrested on the murder charge on November 1, according to the arrest report cited by the Miami Herald, and was re-arrested after the victim died. The newspaper reports the fight broke out around 10:40 p.m. in October on the downtown street corner, and that detectives later reviewed surveillance footage of the altercation.
That footage, according to the report, captured Lizardo repeatedly punching the victim, who appeared defenseless, detectives said. A witness told an officer they saw a man bleeding from his head and face, and detectives found blood at the scene, the Herald’s account states.
Victim Suffered Brain Bleed, Placed on Life Support
Miami Fire Rescue transported the victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, according to the report. He suffered a brain bleed and severe facial fractures, was placed in an ICU coma, and was later put on life support, the same account notes.
The victim was declared brain dead on October 28, according to the report, and he died on Monday, November 2. Lizardo reportedly admitted he was in a scuffle with the victim, according to the report, though the evidence reviewed does not detail what sparked the confrontation.
Already Jailed on a Battery Charge
Lizardo was already in custody at the pretrial detention center on a felony battery charge as of October 15, before he was arrested on the murder charge on November 1; he was re-arrested after the victim died. A separate report from Local 10 similarly states that the 28-year-old Miami man was charged with second-degree murder after the man he was accused of beating in October died of his injuries, according to authorities.
The identity of the victim has not been released in the information reviewed, and no court filings or official statements beyond the arrest report details were available to confirm the full circumstances of the confrontation. It also remains unclear whether the surveillance footage referenced by detectives has been made public.
