TikToker's Stepdad Tried Murdering Her for 'Ruining' His Marriage with Her Mom: Cops
a Florida social media influencer. recently found herself in the line of. fire last week and it was allegedly her. former stepfather firing the shots we. have what she has to say about this. apparent attack on her life as well as. the charges the suspect now faces and. we're discussing it all with a former. prosecutor who specialized in domestic. violence cases welcome to sidebar. presented by law crime I'm Sierra. gespi is BAU teron known online as eel.
be shared details of a horrific. encounter with her millions of followers. on platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok. now according to eelle her mother had. been married to her stepfather Louise. Damas for 13 years but they'd separated. several months ago isel's mother often. participates in her daughter's social. media posts and deas himself has also. made a few appearances in videos from. several years ago apparently in happier.
times so Damas allegedly showed up at. the women's Miami apartment on August. 21st isel's mom told him that she had. company over and she'd reach out to him. again later but when the friend left. hours later Damas was outside the. apartment in the hall when the former. couple started arguing Damas reportedly. pushed past his estranged wife into the. apartment asking where Iselle was. allegedly shouting that his stepdaughter. was the reason he and her mother could.
no longer be together in a post on. Instagram Isel who's originally from. Venezuela wrote about the alleged attack. in Spanish saying that she tried to hide. under the bed but it was too low to the. ground she included some pretty graphic. photos showing her hand covered in blood. and the broken bed frame a translated. part of what she wrote reads quote I. decided to crawl toward him screaming. for him to stop and at that moment I. heard the shot that left me stunned but.
my mom who was already behind me. wrestled him so that the shot didn't hit. me according to the affidavit zamas. started biting his ex so Isel hit him. with a wine bottle Damas allegedly. grabbed Iselle by the hair during this. struggle and wouldn't let go even after. he calmed down enough to sit down on the. couch the affidavit States the defendant. later demanded the victim to help him. clean up the scene inside the residence. the defendant had victim one meaning.
eel's mother sweep and mop the floor and. collect all evidence from the scene and. place it in a blue garbage bag the next. day August 22nd the women went to the. hospital for their injuries and then. contacted the police they said they. hadn't called 911 right away because. deas threatened he would hire Hitmen to. kill them if they did on August 23rd. Miami's domestic violence apprehension. team arrested deas when he got to Police. Headquarters he then invoked his rights.
he's now facing nine felony charges here. they all are attempted felony murder. with a deadly weapon two counts of. aggravated assault with a firearm two. more counts of burglary with assault or. battery two counts of tampering with. evidence two more counts of false. imprisonment with a weapon and of course. felony battery so to make sense of all. this let's turn to our expert guest so. let's Jump Right In right away former. prosecutor Christine Guillo who actually. specializes in domestic violence cases.
Christine thank you so much for coming. on with us my pleasure okay so my first. thought in all of this there's a lot to. unpack but the first thing that went. through my mind is had her mom not. pushed away the suspect eell could be. dead right now her stepfather allegedly. fired this shot at her it's an attempted. murder charge at this point is that. what's going through your head too she. could be dead had her mom not. intervened absolutely it was very clear. or what his motives were in some of.
these cases the defense could possibly. argue that it was in a fit of rage I. never meant to kill or but this. particular defendant was making his. intentions 100% clear he repeated I. believe in the uh recount of what. happened I'm going to kill you it it. wasn't just saying as if sometimes we. say oh God if you say that again I'm. just going to kill you that's not what. this was it was accompanied with acts of. violence um something bringing forth the.
attempt further attempt to U inflict. injury harm and possibly death so yes he. was absolutely going to continue had he. not been stopped and it kind of seems. like the motive in this case I know we. don't need a motive to convict but it. does seem like there's a pretty blatant. one here that he's blaming eelle for the. separation with her mother what do you. think of that so it's interesting that. you say that and that's a common um.
thought with those that that if you. don't try cases or so forth and you are. right a motive is not required however. in all of my trial experience the most. successful prosecutions come when you. provide a jury with a motive because it. gives them an explanation because let's. face it the the normal people the people. living the the everyday life this is. something so out of the ordinary that. they can't wrap their brain around it so. once you give them a motive it's a. better explanation as to how this person. could get so violent.
and and and do the things that he was. accused of doing and the motive here. goes back to the traditional domestic. violence albe it more aggressive in this. actual incident it's more about the. power and control in separating those. from the demestic violence victim by the. abuser separating the victim from people. around them that might put them on the. right path to get away from the abuser. but this was a very aggressive um after. the fact attack on what I believe this.
defendant believed was the cause of his. breakup so he was going to go in there. get rid of what stopped him from having. the power in control kill her and then. be able to control his victim again in. in his mind in in his and that's how I. would be explaining it to a jury stories. like eel's the one we're covering today. prove just how scary and unpredictable. the world can be and if you're ever hurt. sometimes you just don't know where to. turn but but enter Morgan and Morgan.
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this case really has domestic violence. written all over it based on what you. were saying and this next part really. solidifies that so these two women did. not call 911 right away and some of us. may be thinking why not I mean this man. attempted to kill you obviously there's. battery why not call 911 but they said. that he threatened them that he would. hire a hitman to kill them is that. another form of control stopping them. from reaching out to the authorities.
it is it is a form of control but I I do. in this particular case I and that is a. common thing that the um we would get. victims that would come in uh they would. file the the complaints and then would. all of a sudden get too afraid to go. through with it because well for two. reasons one the abuser would either come. back and apologize again or they would. be afraid that the violence would. escalate or this would be the end of. them um as we've seen so many times but. in this particular case it's interesting. that you bring that up as well well I.
was a little I was a little confused in. that this the the person eel was um um. an internet person uh an influencer I. tend to think her motives may have been. twofold that that yes he threatened us. however we went to get our injuries. checked out they waited over a c over. two days I think sort of weighing out. how this may affect her um on the. internet and her career as an influencer.
I think that had something to do with it. not that it takes away from what she. should have done but I I do think that. this was more along the lines of. protecting a career as well as. themselves I don't mean to be insulting. in that regard but in I could see that. they knew where this person was they. were able to fend him off at first there. was no indication ever that he had any. connection to Hitman that he would be. able to have the money to hire someone. to do so I feel as if they were perhaps.
thinking about what was best for them as. they should and then um then made a. decision to call the police and to file. the charges it will damage them a little. bit but not wholeheartedly I mean. there's two witnesses there's documented. injury clearly violent injury um the. bite marks and so forth but I do think. that this delay in report was more about. what were they were doing what was best. for them rather than fearing for their. lives you made a good point there so. taking a look at the celebrity of it all.
I mean just on face value this is a. terrifying case anybody who had to go. through it is obviously traumatized but. then you add another level that this is. a public Persona Iselle has a bunch of. followers on Tik Tok Instagram and then. she actually used these platforms. posting photos of this abuse I mean. there's blood there's bruises that also. leads into my next question on evidence. it looks like they have kind of a. boatload in that regard they definitely. have a boatload because you again can't.
go back to it was an accident I didn't. mean it it was in a fit of rage I raised. my hand and accidentally hit her no no. no these bruises are absolutely. absolutely glaringly parent in proving. that he had an intent to hurt harm and. possibly kill her um I don't know how it. plays out I she's posting all of this it. is a protection mechanism um I applaud. her on that because if you put it out. there that someone's out to get you and. you have a fan base they're also out.
there to protect you it could also work. against you it could work the other way. that's a that's an issue for her to deal. with I I'm not a famous person I. wouldn't know which way to go but I I do. think that. um in there's. also um a positive value to posting this. and speaking about it it it it's it. solidifies or brings together other. domestic violence victims that say okay. if I'm a fan of Iselle and she's going. forward and she's pursuing this.
prosecution against the abuser who was. abusing her mother and then her it could. lead to a trend um with her followers. and her fans to do the same and to stand. up for each other and to fight the fight. really and if we're looking at the. charges that he now faces obviously. attempted murder in that he shot a gun. right at her intending to hit her but. then there's false imprisonment with a. weapon that one is more of a question. mark to me does that mean because he was. there keeping within that apartment.
threatening them with this. weapon yes so that's that's where it. becomes when you are held against your. will and clearly they were um I'm unsure. as to how they how they broke away I'm. unsure based on the reports that I was. looking at that he just left or they. they were fighting clearly fighting him. off and then he just he just left and. decided which is not unusual I mean they. they do their thing and then they get to. appoint the abusers and they say okay. I'll be back um just put put this they. instill the fear of God in them and then.
have more control over them um but in. this yes that is imprisonment because. they were not free to go it's not. something where you have to be chained. to a wall or something like that if you. and it is subjective it's to the victim. and if the victim for whatever reason. deal safe enough to leave then. imprisoned and they can be charged with. uh you know imprisoning as well as to. inflict injury it it makes it a um a.
higher level felony charge when you're. being uh beat up and imprisoned rather. than just beat up or just. imprisoned and honestly it just keeps. coming back to this control aspect that. The Stepfather wanted on his wife now. estranged but also his stepdaughter and. I'm wondering if it's possible and. probably likely that there were red. flags along the way I mean obviously. they had been separated now he came back. and executed this situation. while they've been separated but while.
they were together or even during the. separation could there have been alarm. Bells going off ahead of. time I'm sure there were in the domestic. violence cases that I had dealt with. it's not something that happens um just. out of nowhere there are definite signs. what we would say um one of the bigger. signs if if if the abuser was in public. and would yell and scold the victim in. public it was always a red flag that in.
front of people they're doing a hundred. times worse behind closed doors that was. always number one I'm more than sure. that there were a bunch of indicators. and ISS that he was harmful to her she. separated from him that's that's showing. wanted nothing more to do with him the. timeline is I don't know how long they. were together or um how long oparation. took but I'm more than sure they were. trying to separate and him getting more. aggressive her trying to separate more.
aggressive if I were the prosecutor I. would do a deep dive in I'm more than. sure there were some phone calls and. complaints whether or not they she. followed through the complaint would. still be um substantiated somewhere I. would venture um a guess that there. would be or or I would bet highly that. there is uh some other complaints. against this defendant if we're moving. forward and this suspect pleads not. guilty this ends up at a. I'm wondering about the revictimization.
of it all because we have eelle we have. her mom who've been through this. traumatic incident but they are the. firsthand Witnesses so if they were put. on the stand how does all of that work. because they may be going through this. they have to relive it in front of the. person who allegedly did all this to. them how does that work I'm a little. less worried about Iselle than other. victim this is not a slight ell at all. she is a public figure she is famous Tik. Tock famous and so forth she does not.
seem to have a problem at this point. reliving this and posting it on her Tik. Tok for all to see not only is that. reliving at once it's out there and when. something's out there it stays out there. she is on a mission to make sure that. this person this defendant pays for what. he did and and that's wonderful and I I. applaud the strength behind that and I. think her Persona her famous her um. personality um influence being an. influence is going to help in her.
strength to face the abuser her mother. on the other hand I'm not sure but again. with Iselle as her daughter providing. her this extra strength I think it's. going to be a problem for either one of. them at this point looking forward what. do you expect in this case if he does. plead not guilty I don't know how strong. of a case he has we have talked about. how prosecutors do have a pretty strong. case so what do you infer could happen. next. I do not see this going to trial for for.
a couple of reasons um again because she. is an influencer with a lot of fans um. the defense is going to be like you you. you beat up on someone the public loves. so you know this isn't going to work for. you uh the physical injuries that they. documented with the pictures that's huge. that's hard to get around that's a clear. bite mark he can't claim it wasn't me. those are not my teeth marks I really. don't see this going to trial I see a.
plea deal coming uh the only defense. that that he could have is the crime of. passion but even that you know Crime of. Passion you have to be it has to be just. that it has to be an act in the midst of. passion and in doing this this was more. premeditated in that he had a gun on him. he made repeated threats when it was. going south and it was being thwarted. that that he may not be able to go. through he kept going so in keep going.
it it's his passions broke it's not. something that was a split decision I. took it out I I saw her in bed with. someone else and I killed her that's a. crime of passion this is something that. was you're not listening to me so he got. more Angry you're not letting me in so. he bangs the door down like it was. agression being built on aggression so. again I I do not see this going to trial. that if but look as defense attorneys. I've been that on that side too we can. only counsel our clients our clients can. either listen to us or not uh and if. they choose not to take the plea then we.
put forth the best defense you possibly. can which I don't see a very good one. here either way definitely a case we. want to continue to follow and see how. it pans out Christine thank you so much. for coming on with us today it's always. great when we get to. talk thank you very much right now Damas. is being held in the Miami Dade County. jail with no bond and is next expected. in court on Friday that's all for us. today on sidebar but make sure you. subscribe anywhere you listen to your.
podcasts whether it's Apple podcast. Spotify or YouTube I'm SRA Gillespie and. this has been sidebar presented by laon. crry. [Music].
