Osceola Sheriff says murder suspect should have been in jail when he committed alleged crime

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The Osceola County Sheriff is speaking out about a murder suspect, saying he shouldn't have been on the streets in the first place.

Osceola County sheriff’s deputies say 24-year-old Kaylan Vega tried making it look like his girlfriend’s murder was a suicide at the Red Carpet Inn on July 1.
But when they arrived, Sheriff Marcos Lopez says they discovered Vega murdered the 20-year-old victim. 

"A deceased female shot in the head and it was apparent it wasn’t a suicide."

Sheriff Lopez says Vega shouldn’t have been out on the streets in the first place with 12 prior convictions, including battery and robbery.

Records show it was back in April, that Vega received five years probation, instead of three years in jail, after being arrested for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia. 

"If he would have had his sentence the way it should have been, I do believe this girl would be alive today."

State Attorney Monique Worrell released a statement saying at that time, "Mr Vega did not have a violent criminal history and the firearm he had, was not used in the crime, nor was he charged with it. She also posted the state statute 27.366/775-087 with it. However, we discovered, the first sentence of the statute was missing in the release, which says in part, "It is the intent of the Legislature that convicted criminal offenders who meet the criteria  of 27.366/775-087 and be sentenced to the minimum mandatory prison terms provided therein."

"Once we put together a good case for prosecution and we send it up to the State Attorney’s office, unfortunately, it’s out of our hands and out of our control," Sheriff Lopez says.

He hopes this isn’t a trend and Vega will stay in jail. 

"Hopefully this time they see that his violence is escalating." 

Vega is currently being held on no bond.  Vega's brother is also being charged for his alleged involvement in the crime. The investigation continues.

You can read the full statement from the State Attorney's Office below, or at this link for mobile users (PDF).

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