25-Year-Old Tourist Brutally Kills Bystander with Fire Extinguisher After Being Kicked Out of Florida Hotel
Piero Estefano But-Castillo. (Photo: osceola Corrections)
A tourist from Chile faces charges of murder and battery after allegedly killing a bystander with a fire extinguisher during a violent outburst at a Florida hotel. On January 10, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of 25-year-old Piero Estefano But-Castillo at a Quality Inn in Kissimmee.
Deputies responded to a 911 call on January 8 about a man being attacked with a fire extinguisher, stomped on, and kicked. Sheriff Marcos Lopez stated that deputies arrived around 4 p.m. to find But-Castillo still beating 55-year-old Robert Krusinowski. Lopez explained during a press conference that the attack began after hotel staff asked But-Castillo to leave, as his stay had ended, told WKRC.
“In an effort to calm him down, our victim — Mr. Robert Krusinowski, a 55-year-old man — was unarmed, just trying to de-escalate the situation,” Lopez said. “However, our suspect — it angered him, and he just beat him. Beat him to death. It was a brutal beating with a fire extinguisher.”
Court records reveal that But-Castillo smashed hotel property, including the window of an occupied room, during the rampage. After climbing through the broken window and being forced back out, he resumed attacking Krusinowski. Much of the assault was captured on a hotel resident’s cell phone.
Krusinowski, a longtime resident of the hotel who often assisted with maintenance, suffered severe head trauma. Despite first aid efforts by fire department personnel, he died at the scene. “These savage attacks aren’t going to go unpunished here,” Lopez said, condemning the brutality of the incident.
But Castillo, who first entered the U.S. from Chile in 2019 as a student and returned on a tourist visa on January 1, 2024, is being held without bond at the Osceola County Jail. He faces charges of first-degree murder, resisting an officer with violence, battery on specified personnel, and criminal mischief exceeding $1,000. An immigration hold has also been placed on him.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate, working with the Chilean government to gather more information about But-Castillo. Lopez urged the public to call 911 instead of intervening in volatile situations. “Let us take this into our hands and effect the arrest,” he advised. “It’s better that you don’t get involved. You don’t know who you’re dealing with… In this case, it cost the victim his life.”
