DJ Seasunz Charged in the Murder of 18-Year-Old Jaclyn Torrealba

A well-known Miami DJ Juan Carlos Portieles, known professionally as DJ Seasunz, turned himself in yesterday afternoon after driving around with the dead body of his 18-year-old girlfriend, Jaclyn Torrealba. Police are charging the 30 year-old Portieles with second degree murder. The arrest affidavit can be read here. Police say the couple became involved in a...

By Miami New Times staff

October 12, 2009

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A well-known Miami DJ Juan Carlos Portieles, known professionally as DJ Seasunz, turned himself in yesterday afternoon after driving around with the dead body of his 18-year-old girlfriend, Jaclyn Torrealba. Police are charging the 30 year-old Portieles with second degree murder. The arrest affidavit can be read here.

Police say the couple became involved in a "heated verbal altercation" on the side of the road in southwest Miami-Dade. Portieles began to punch and bite Torrealba, according to the police report. She attempted to fight back, but Portieles choked her until she stopped moving. Police found scratches on her face and torso, and one of her hands was swollen.

Portieles then put the body in the passenger seat of his car and drove to several friends' houses telling them what he had done.

By 7 p.m. Sunday night, Portieles had turned himself in at the Miami-Dade Police station in Doral. There he led officers to a body in a gray Toyota Camry.

He also told police that he has been involved with Torrealbe for two years, meaning they would have begun the relationship when she was 16.

That Portieles had a girlfriend 12 years his junior comes as little surprise, say various acquaintances from the club scene. As DJ Seasunz, he was known for promoting and playing often to a younger crowd. His MySpace page (which lists his full name as "Seasunz Manson") devotes an entire section of flyers to all-ages parties. The most recent flyer in that section promotes a headlining slot at a series of all-ages nights at Flavour in Coconut Grove.

Some facts remain confusing: Public records show, for instance, that Portieles drives a black Toyota Corolla. What we do know for sure, however, is that he lists an address on Taylor Street in Hollywood and has a history of three arrests, one for assault and burglary, and two for drugs.

Before police released information, the news began creeping into the public eye when popular Miami DJ Danny Daze tweeted news of the murder this morning. Other acquaintances of the victim weighed in on popular social networking websites, including Seasunz' own personal Facebook page. It was deactivated some time Monday evening, but a screen grab from his wall is below.

Acquaintances say Torrealba was last seen at Club Space around 2 a.m. Sunday. Through Facebook and Twitter, they began pleading for information on her whereabouts several hours later.

Portieles is a well known DJ in downtown Miami. A regular DJ at Space, he also spun at Karu & Y, Electric Pickle, Nocturnal, and the Bang and Ultra music festivals. He had opened for well-known acts like The Crystal Method, Armin Van Buren, and was on the bill for this week's canceled Tiesto gig scheduled at Nova Southeastern University. (The Tiesto gig was canceled for unrelated reasons, at least a day before news of the murder broke.)

Meanwhile, fans of his Facebook page are leaving some choice words in wall posts. CBS News has obtained a tearful Facebook message from the victim's father.

-- Francisco Alvarado, Dominic Sirianni, and Kyle Munzenrieder

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