David Contreras, accused of killing his son in Kendall, appears in bond court – NBC 6 South Florida

A father accused of shooting and killing his son in Kendall on Friday appeared before a judge in bond court Sunday for the first time since his arrest.

According to the arrest affidavit from Miami-Dade Police, David Contreras, 52, “shot the victim multiple times for unknown reason(s). The defendant then called police and informed them he had shot the victim, who is his son.”

The shooting happened Friday at approximately 2 p.m. near the intersection of SW 106th Street and SW 84th Avenue. Eric Contreras, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene.

“This is just a very tragic situation,” defense attorney Frank Quintero Jr., one of three lawyers representing David Contreras, told NBC6 over the phone after Sunday’s hearing. “The victim is the son of the defendant, and the victim has suffered from some severe emotional and mental conditions, and we’re still trying to determine what happened, why it happened.”

But the victim’s fraternity brothers at Florida International University (FIU), where he was a student, remembered him as “a caring man” who was “lighting up any room he was in.”

Presiding Judge David C. Miller read the charge of second-degree murder with a weapon aloud in the courtroom Sunday, noting that there would be no bond.

“The court is correct,” Quintero said. “This is a, right now, non-bondable offense. We do have to go before the assigned judge for an Arthur Hearing. So, there’s really not a lot the court can do at this time, in this situation.”

Contreras could only be heard speaking twice throughout the proceedings — once, when addressed by the judge, and secondly, when he was asked for confirmation by attorney Quintero.

“Not every judge has the same policy. Some judges require that a defendant wait, in a situation like this, 21 days to see what charges, if any, the State Attorney’s Office will file, which could obviate the need for a bond hearing,” Quintero told NBC6. “I don’t know yet who is the judge assigned to this case, and I would have to call his or her chambers to find out what their respective procedure is for this type of event.”