BAKER COUNTY, Fla. — Virgilio Aguilar Mendez, the migrant worker whose involvement in the death was subject to murder charges and national scrutiny, has been released from ICE custody in Baker County.
Attorney Phillip Arroyo shared a TikTok video that shows the moment he was released. Aguilar Mendez can be seen smiling and nodding.
Mendez, 19, was accused of causing the death of St. Johns County Sgt. Michael Kunovich.
Aguilar Mendez was involved in a struggle with Kunovich shortly before the officer died. A medical examiner's report said Kunovich died of an irregular heartbeat, but the struggle and possible emotional stress contributed to his death.
Kunovich approached Mendez due to "suspicious behavior." Mendez began to walk away after telling the officer he didn't speak English and a struggle ensued and Mendez was tased multiple times.
Last month, the Medical Examiner's Office released a report that said found Kunovich's death did not meet the criteria of a homicide. Aguilar Mendez's attorneys later threatened a federal lawsuit if the charges weren't dropped.
More than 600,000 people have signed a petition demanding Mendez be released immediately.
According to the incident report, Mendez is a migrant worker from Guatemala and told police he was previously in immigration custody for six months. Mendez was originally charged with resisting with violence and felony murder. The murder charge was later downgraded to aggravated manslaughter of an officer.
The State Attorney’s Office decision to dismiss the case was based on concerns about the intellectual capacity of Virgilio Aguilar Mendez and the recent ruling finding him incompetent, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.