Mother speaks out after daughter is found dead on highway and boyfriend is charged
Nahomi Cittadini's mother
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Florida (WFOR) — Nearly three months after Nahomi Cittadini, 22, was found dead on the side of I-95, authorities have charged her boyfriend with second-degree murder.
Cittadini’s mother, Maria Benitez, says she wants the full weight of the law to come down on her daughter’s killer.
Cittadini’s boyfriend, Lorent Junior Pion, 29, is being charged with her murder.
Pion initially told investigators that she had jumped out of his car during an argument and was hit by another vehicle.
But newly released evidence contradicts his story.
New evidence surfaces
According to Pion’s arrest warrant, a Florida Department of Transportation worker reviewed traffic camera footage from that morning and saw a man repeatedly punching a woman before dragging her toward the highway.
“The victim crawled back to the emergency shoulder,” the witness said. “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 found both inside and outside of Pion’s vehicle.
Cittadini’s mother, Maria Benitez, said Pion video-called Cittadini’s father after the incident, showing him her phone, Apple Watch and purse.
“He had her belongings at his sister’s house,” Benitez said.
Facing murder charge
Pion, a convicted felon, was initially arrested for failing to stop at the scene and aggravated fleeing. He is now facing a second-degree murder charge and is expected to be transferred to Miami-Dade County.
Benitez, clutching a pink urn containing her daughter’s ashes, said 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.
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