Murder suspect allegedly threw man from 25th floor of Miami Beach condo, cops say

Nearly two months after a Miami Beach man was thrown from the 25th floor of his condo building, police have arrested a suspect who they say is responsible for his murder.

Corey Hutterli, 37, was arrested Wednesday on charges of second-degree murder and burglary with assault or battery in the death of Justin Zelin, Miami Beach Police officials said.

The alleged incident happened back on Feb. 15 at the Akoya Condominium at 6365 Collins Avenue, where Zelin lived on the 25th floor, an arrest report said.

Zelin had called 911 to report a disturbance in the apartment and was heard repeatedly telling Hutterli to leave, and a struggle could be heard between Hutterli and Zelin, police said.

A short time later, surveillance video showed Zelin’s body hitting the pavement on the ground floor of the building, the report said.

Officers responded and Hutterli was seen leaving Zelin’s apartment “in what appears to be an excited state” wearing socks but no shoes, the report said.

“What’s going on? Somebody, he freaked out, attacked me,” Hutterli told an officer, according to the report.

The officer asked Hutterli if he was alone and he responded “No, I don’t know where he is I kept telling him to relax,” the report said.

Hutterli later spontaneously said “What is the situation? Did he jump?” the report said.

Hutterli was detained and allowed to call his mother, and the conversation was captured by an officer’s body worn camera in which Hutterli said he was leaving Zelin’s apartment after Zelin asked him to leave, the report said.

Zelin’s apartment was found in disarray and Hutterli’s sandals were found on the balcony where what appeared to be a small smudge of blood was found on a railing, the report said.

Clumps of what appeared to be Hutterli’s beard hair were found scattered in the living room and his bucket hat was found on a couch, the report said.

Hutterli’s backpack also contained a large chunk of beard hair and a jacket with a small baggie of ketamine in the pocket, the report said.

Hutterli wouldn’t speak with a detective, who noticed he had a laceration to his right thumb and a small cut on his left hand, along with scratches on his cheek and bicep and had several patches of his beard missing, the report said.

The report said small droplets of suspected blood were found on Hutterli’s shirt and the jacket he was wearing when he left the apartment.

Investigators later determined a violent altercation occurred between Zelin and Hutterli and that Zelin suffered fatal injuries due to the altercation, police said.

“During said physical altercation defendant Hutterli caused for victim Zelin to perish due to blunt force trauma from decent from height (victims apartment located on 25th floor),” the report said.

Hutterli was booked into jail and was expected to appear before a bond court judge on Thursday.

“This arrest is the result of the relentless and meticulous work of our homicide detectives, who spent weeks carefully analyzing evidence, coordinating investigative leads, and ensuring every fact was thoroughly examined,” Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne Jones said in a statement. “Their commitment to precision and justice is what brought this case forward. We are also grateful for the strong collaboration with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, whose support was critical to this investigation.”