A Florida biotech executive is dead after another man followed him into his apartment building and allegedly threw him off an apartment balcony.
The death of Justin Zelin, 35, occurred at the Akoya Condominium in Miami Beach on Feb. 15, three days after the victim was seen entering the building alongside supposed friend Corey Hutterli, 37, according to station WTVJ.
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What happened in the moments just prior to Zelin’s death remains unclear.
According to an arrest report reviewed by station WPLG, Zelin called the police at 10:22 pm on Feb. 15. During the call, he could be heard saying, “Get away from me, Sasha.” Sasha is reportedly Hutterli’s nickname.
Later during the call, Zelin suddenly stopped saying anything as some sort of physical struggle between him and Hutterli erupted.
When the police arrived around 10:31 pm, they found Hutterli attempting to leave Zelin’s apartment “in what appears to be an excited state.” He was “seen physically sweating and out of breath,” the arrest report says.
He also kept making incoherent remarks.
“What’s going on? Somebody, he freaked out, attacked me,” he initially said to the police.
When they asked him where Zelin was, he got even worse.
“He went to the elevator man, what the f—, I’m all beat up,” he said before asking the police whether Zelin had jumped.
The arrest report also notes that Hutterli was allowed to call his mother in front of police officers. During the call, he claimed that he’d left Zelin’s apartment after being told to leave. But police disputed this.
They “noted that around nine minutes had passed from when Zelin was demanding Hutterli to leave during the 911 call to the moment officers arrived and Hutterli was still there, indicating he had time to leave,” WPLG points out.
In addition, when the police reviewed surveillance footage, they discovered that Zelin hit the pavement outside the building at 10:30 pm, meaning only a minute had passed between them arriving on the scene and Hutterli being found trying to leave the apartment — and this despite Hutterli having been told to leave nearly 10 minutes earlier.
A subsequent search of Zelin’s apartment revealed signs of a struggle, pieces of Hutterli’s beard everywhere, Zelin’s phone, open balcony doors, Hutterli’s sandals on the balcony, and blood on the balcony railing at the exact spot where Zelin’s body had fallen from.
The police also found pieces of Hutterli’s beard in his backpack “as if he was attempting to both retrieve and conceal evidence from the scene,” according to the arrest report.
Based on all the evidence, including a cut to Hutterli’s right thumb and scratches on his arm, he was arrested for second-degree murder.
⚖️FLORIDA vs Corey Hutterli⚖️😲Man Accused of Throwing Other Man Off High-Rise Balcony Faces Judge⚖️
On June 2, 2026, Corey Hutterli, the 37-year-old man accused of pushing his friend 25 stories to his death from a Miami Beach high-rise balcony, appeared in a Miami courtroom… pic.twitter.com/jXX1i7KenN— American Crime Stories (@AmericanCrime01) June 2, 2026
Hutterli is reportedly a known criminal who was already out on felony bond and facing charges of burglary with assault or battery, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The suspected perpetrator’s attorneys have alleged that the evidence against their client is purely circumstantial.
“There is no eyewitness [to] any alleged act that causes the deceased’s death,” attorney David Sobel said. “No statements or admission for Mr. Hutterli acknowledging any criminal conduct, no direct evidence establishing how or by whom the fatal injuries were inflicted.”
In court records filed by Hutterli’s attorneys last week, they alleged that he’d been an overnight guest at Zelin’s home when his friend had suddenly lost his mind and verbally attacked him.
“In the morning, JZ came out of his bedroom screaming at Hutterli, who had slept on the couch in the living room,” the records state.
A few seconds later, Zelin (JZ) dialed 911.
“Initially, JZ sounds calm and coherent with the 911 operator,” the records continue. “However, after a few seconds, for no apparent reason, JZ starts screaming in what can only be described as a complete break with reality.”
“JZ can be heard ranting, claiming that he was killed by a homeless person, and insisting that he is dead. During this mental break, JZ ran in and out of the apartment, and then he went over the balcony of his 25th-floor condo and fell to his death,” the records conclude.
Hutterli, described by the attorneys as “in an obvious state of shock,” then grabbed his stuff and left at just the precise moment the police arrived.
“While the death of a young man is always tragic, there is absolutely no evidence that Corey Hutterli pushed Justin Zelin or caused his fatal fall from the balcony,” the attorneys told WTVJ.
“When the full facts and circumstances come to light, it will be clear that Justin Zelin was suffering from a psychotic break with reality as evidenced on the 911 call. We will demonstrate in court that Corey was not responsible for Justin’s death in any manner,” they added.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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