Authorities have charged Nahomi Cittadini’s boyfriend with second-degree murder, nearly three months after she was discovered dead on the side of I-95.
Maria Benitez, Cittadini’s mother, says she wants her daughter’s killer to face the full force of the law.
Cittadini’s boyfriend, Lorent Junior Pion, 29, has been charged with her murder.
Pion initially told investigators that she jumped out of his car during an argument and was struck by another vehicle.
However, newly released evidence contradicts his story.
New evidence surfaces
According to Pion’s arrest warrant, a Florida Department of Transportation employee reviewed traffic camera footage from that morning and saw a man punching a woman multiple times before dragging her to the highway.
“The victim crawled back to the emergency shoulder,” the witness explained. “The subject punched the victim and dragged her back to the far-right lane in the path of oncoming traffic.”
The arrest warrant states that blood was discovered both inside and outside Pion’s vehicle.
Cittadini’s mother, Maria Benitez, claimed Pion video-called his father after the incident, showing him her phone, Apple Watch, and purse.
“He had her belongings at his sister’s house,” Benitez explained.
Facing murder charge
Pion, a convicted felon, was initially charged with failure to stop at the scene and aggravated fleeing. He is now charged with second-degree murder and is expected to be transferred to Miami-Dade County.
Benitez, clutching a pink urn containing her daughter’s ashes, stated that she is still seeking justice.
“I know that’s not going to bring my daughter back, but at least she’ll rest easier,” she said. “He has to pay.”
The arrest warrant also reveals that Pion and Cittadini had a violent history.
In August, they were involved in a physical altercation in Miami Beach, leading to a protective order against Pion.
