Burglar Shot Dead--His Accomplice was an Illegal Alien

See the News Conference by Manatee County, Florida Sheriff Rick Wells

"This is Florida. If you break into someone's home, you should expect to be shot."

Prosecutors recently filed murder charges against an illegal alien who broke into a Lakewood Ranch home near Bradenton, Florida. On December 26, 2024, Michel Soto-Mella, 39, and Jorge Nestevan Flores-Toledo, 27, allegedly used a crowbar-type instrument to pry open the window of a residence in the 6700 block of Hickory Hammock Circle at about 9:00 P.M.

Flores-Toledo, wearing a mask and gloves, entered the home first. Soto-Mello, also masked, began climbing through the broken window. 

The 57-year-old homeowner, who wished to remain anonymous, was alerted by a security system. After telling his wife to hide in the bedroom, he retrieved a 9mm semiautomatic handgun. Confronted by Flores-Toledo, the homeowner fired three shots. Flores-Toledo later died at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Soto-Mella fled when the shots rang out, but was later tracked down by the Sheriff's Office K9 unit.

Flores-Toledo had been arrested in Illinois for residential burglary but was released on parole. At the time he died, the felon had an active arrest warrant.

Soto-Mella, originally from Chile, arrived in California several months ago and was granted a 90-day work visa. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that "he was supposed to return to his country in September but did not."

The homeowner was not charged with any crime.

Please check out the 8-minute video. Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells describes the sequence of events that led to the shooting.