Investigators say audio, surveillance footage and forensic findings tie a Parkland man to a fatal fall from a 25th-floor balcony.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Miami Beach police say a murder case that began with a desperate 911 call from a condo apartment in February ended this week with the arrest of a Parkland man accused of sending the caller over a 25th-floor balcony to his death.
Investigators identified the victim as Justin Zelin, 35, and the defendant as Corey Hutterli, 37. Police said Zelin’s own call for help gave them their first critical lead, capturing him repeatedly telling “Sasha” to get away. Investigators later said Hutterli used that nickname. From there, police built the case through surveillance footage, body-camera-recorded remarks, evidence collected inside the apartment and later statements made during a court appearance. The result was a second-degree murder charge filed nearly two months after the fatal fall from a Mid-Beach high-rise.
According to the arrest report, the final minutes unfolded quickly. Zelin called 911 at 10:22 p.m. on Feb. 15 from his apartment at the Akoya condominium, 6365 Collins Ave. Dispatchers could hear him repeatedly ordering Hutterli to leave. Then, police said, Zelin suddenly stopped communicating while the line remained open. Investigators said the call continued to capture a struggle and Hutterli’s voice in the apartment. Officers reached the building at about 10:31 p.m. As they got to the unit, police said, they saw Hutterli attempting to leave in an agitated condition, without shoes, sweating and breathing hard. Police said he immediately offered shifting remarks, first claiming Zelin had attacked him, then saying the victim went to the elevator, and then asking officers whether Zelin had jumped.
Police said that sequence did not line up with the rest of the evidence. Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed Zelin hitting the pavement at 10:30 p.m., only about a minute before officers arrived and saw Hutterli at the apartment door. In the unit, police said they found balcony doors left open, signs of a struggle leading toward the balcony and blood on the balcony railing. Hutterli’s sandals were on the balcony, according to the report. Investigators also recovered Zelin’s cellphone from a bathroom floor and said pieces of Hutterli’s beard were found scattered through the living room. Officers documented a cut on Hutterli’s thumb and scratches on his arm. Later, in court, Judge Mindy Glazer was reported to have said Hutterli’s DNA was found in blood on the balcony and that a jacket sample included DNA from both Hutterli and Zelin.
The public record leaves some questions unanswered, including the nature of the relationship between the two men and what set off the confrontation inside the condo. But police said the narrow timeline was one of the most important parts of the case. Investigators noted that roughly nine minutes passed between Zelin’s pleas for Hutterli to leave and the arrival of officers, a span they argue gave Hutterli ample time to walk out before the encounter turned fatal. Instead, they say, the victim went over the balcony and Hutterli was still in the apartment when officers got there. Police also said they found beard hair inside Hutterli’s backpack, which investigators interpreted as a possible attempt to collect and hide evidence from the scene. A bag of ketamine was also found in a jacket pocket inside the backpack, according to the arrest paperwork.
Defense attorney David Sobel has challenged the prosecution’s theory, calling the case purely circumstantial. Sobel said there was no eyewitness to the fatal act, no statement by Hutterli admitting criminal conduct and no direct evidence establishing exactly how the deadly injuries were caused. That argument is likely to shape the next phase of the case as prosecutors seek to show that the 911 audio, the timing on the surveillance video, the physical state of the apartment and the forensic findings together tell one consistent story. Hutterli was also arrested on additional charges including burglary with assault or battery, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, adding to the list of issues he now faces in court.
Even in a city used to headline-grabbing crime stories, the details of this case stand out: a luxury residential tower, a victim heard pleading for space, an open line to 911 and a body falling from high above Collins Avenue. The reporting so far has also described Zelin as a biotech analyst and Harvard graduate, details that sharpened the sense of loss around the case. At the same time, investigators have stayed focused on a tight cluster of facts they believe can be proven in court: who was in the apartment, what was heard on the call, what officers saw when they arrived and what was recovered from the scene. Those facts, rather than speculation about motive, are now at the center of the prosecution.
Hutterli remained in Miami-Dade custody after his arrest and first court proceedings, with the case moving toward its next scheduled hearings. The next key developments are expected to come through formal filings, bond or detention rulings and any additional release of evidence by police or prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated April 10, 2026.