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The Shooting of Estefano

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Estefano shook his head. He didn't mention the frosty discussions with Gil over money some months back. "I'm neither a reggaetonero or a rapper," he told them in Spanish. "It's not that kind of business. Not at all! Not at all, not at all.... I would love to know the motive, the reason of this. The only thing I ask God is to know why this happened."

Estefano wondered whether Junior was worried about losing his job. Another man had been doing odd jobs around the studio, he explained. That theory gained credence when the songwriter described how Junior had been rude to Natalia, Estefano's girlfriend, shortly before the shooting.

When the detectives asked about Gil, the answer was emphatic: "This man has been with me from the heart, because another one would have torn my soul and charged me."

But Estefano had hired two lawyers — Thornton and Neil Taylor — who, along with Assistant State Attorneys Alicia Garcia and Michael Von Zamft, would make significant progress in determining Junior's motive. They would also discover clues to the possible role of both Gil and the Ochosi church in the shooting. By reviewing financial and court records, as well as interviewing principals in the case, they would learn the following, according to court records:

• Junior called the son of the Santería church leader, Andres Suarez Jr., a couple of hours after the shooting on May 25. They spoke for two minutes.

• After receiving money from Gil, the church paid Rubio $136,000 to defend Junior.

• Gil wired Junior's wife, Andrea Romer, $3,000 less than a month after Junior's arrest.

• For several years before the shooting, Gil had placed large amounts of Estefano's Sony contract money into Panama-based banks without the songwriter's knowledge; Junior was authorized to draw money from those accounts.

"We got a signature card, and guess who signed it?" Taylor recalls. "The handyman: Junior. And who authorized him to sign it? Gil.

"That was how the whole thing unfolded."

On November 13, 2007, nearly six months after the shooting, Estefano sued Gil in civil court, claiming his mentor had "stolen assets and diverted money to a Santería organization and its principals." The Brazilian had engineered the murder plot to cover up the theft, court documents claimed.

A month later, the songwriter amended his lawsuit. Some of the cash had been turned over to the Ochosi church and Andres Suarez Sr. and Jr., he claimed. "It appears Estefano was betrayed in unimaginable ways by people who had been close to him," Thornton says. "The thing is, had the church asked my client for money, he would have given them some. Not millions of it, though."

Gil and the church leaders responded that they had done nothing wrong. He could prove he didn't steal money, song rights, or anything else. Junior's withdrawals from the Panamanian banks were spent on studio upkeep. "[Estefano] may even owe Gil money," wrote Luis Delgado, Gil's attorney, in a motion.

Estefano had given money to the church willingly, added Delgado. There was no chicanery.

The civil case dragged on for months and grew nastier by the day. Bank documents, phone records, e-mails, and notes were demanded. Church attorneys claimed Estefano's assertions of theft and attempted murder were "libelous." Among the allegations made by the church: Estefano had put a "hex" on Emilio Estefan because of an earlier contract dispute. Estefano was depicted as paranoid and crazy.

In March, church attorneys threatened to release an embarrassing video of Estefano participating in a Santería ceremony unless the songwriter dropped his legal assault. "You suggested that Estefano should reconsider his lawsuit to spare himself the embarrassment," Thornton replied. "[He] is not intimidated by such threats."

But maybe he was. On April 16, the day before the video and other detailed testimony were to be presented in court, Estefano, Gil, and the Santería church settled the case. Terms were confidential, but all sides declared victory. "Estefano wants to move on with his life," Thornton says. "Civil litigation is very taxing emotionally and financially. This case could have dragged on for years and could have cost him millions."

Gil released a statement calling the criminal allegations "absurd, inexact fantasies." Church leaders declined to comment.

Rubio said the settlement benefited Junior. "If Estefano's allegations of a plot to kill him were true, why would he ever settle [the civil] case?" the lawyer asks.

Estefano has been through several surgeries to correct wounds to his head. He is no longer active in the church or with Santería. "He's just happy and thankful to be alive," Thornton says. "He wants to be known for his talent, his songwriting."

Junior remains in jail without bond even though a handful of friends and family has testified on his behalf. "He's a very peaceful guy," says Samuel Franklin McCoy, a Boca Raton police officer who knew Junior from a jujitsu class. "He never did anything negative."

The attempted murder trial is scheduled for June. It won't be easy to prosecute. Police made a mistake: They didn't get a warrant to search Junior's home, so they never found his clothes, the backpack, or the gun. Plus the alleged shooter didn't have any gunpowder residue on his hands.

But the question that hangs in the balance is this: Will Gil or anyone from the church be charged in connection with the shooting? Will Estefano's allegations that Gil, Suarez, and Junior conspired in a plot to kill him ever be disclosed to a jury?

Prosecutors remain mum, but Estefano's attorney Taylor "anticipates more arrests.... I have no doubt there's going to be a reckoning."

Since the shooting, Estefano has avoided reporters, awards ceremonies, and concerts, instead immersing himself in the safe world of pen and paper, of words and songs.

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