“Every 10 minutes I’m going to take one of your fingernails”: The chilling threat made by six kidnappers to their victim at the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort in Florida
A terrifying saga of abduction and torture has unfolded at the upscale Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort in Florida, leaving two victims traumatized and a community in shock. Official reports and newly unsealed court documents have revealed the harrowing details of an incident that began on the night of May 29, involving a group of six young suspects.
The Abduction at the Resort
The suspects—identified as Saul Alfonso Fajardo (19), Justin Phihoang Le (20), Amari Tamire Hill (21), Anthony Teruel Hernandez (18), Marikevies McNichols Jr. (19), and Weilen Hernandez (20)—now face severe charges of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
According to investigators, the ordeal commenced when the victims encountered “Saul” and an unidentified female accomplice in the resort’s parking garage. What was meant to be a routine night turned into a nightmare as the victims were coerced into two separate vehicles at gunpoint. One victim was violently slammed against a car and forced into the passenger seat by Amari Tamire Hill. Inside the vehicle, the intimidation escalated rapidly, with Justin Phihoang Le delivering a chilling ultimatum:
“If you try to get out, I’m going to end your life. I am going to kill you and your family.”
A Night of Brutality
As the suspects—all reportedly armed with semi-automatic weapons and masked—drove the victims to a remote location identified as the West Broward Boat Ramp, the psychological and physical torment reached a fever pitch.
In a calculated attempt to extort money, Phihoang Le subjected one victim to an agonizing ordeal, threatening to mutilate him if his financial demands were not met. The victim, who observed a pair of pliers inside the vehicle, was forced to beg friends for money while under the constant threat of torture:
“If I don’t get my money, every 10 minutes I’m going to take one of your fingernails.”
Upon arriving at the “spot”—the secluded boat ramp—the victims were forced to their knees at gunpoint. The suspects proceeded to rob them of all personal belongings, including jewelry and mobile phones. One victim was even forced to transfer $400 via Zelle. The cruelty continued as the suspects focused on one victim’s tattoo, with Phihoang Le declaring:
“I’m gonna burn the tattoo off of you, you don’t deserve to have it. I’m going to torture you.”
He further added a terrifying warning:
“Don’t cry. I will kill your family if you go to the police. We are not done.”
Escape and Investigation
The suspects’ cruelty went so far as to force the victims to strip down to their underwear. During a video call intended to intimidate a third party, Hill reportedly fired a gunshot into the air to prove they were not bluffing.
The tide began to turn when the suspects, fearing that one victim’s ankle monitor could lead law enforcement to their location, abandoned him in a Cooper City subdivision. He managed to reach a relative’s home in his undergarments. Meanwhile, the second victim, witnessing the suspects attempting to “burn the evidence” at the boat ramp, faked a seizure in a desperate bid for survival. Panic ensued among the captors, who eventually ejected him from the vehicle, allowing him to escape to safety.
Authorities have since recovered burned clothing and other personal effects at the boat ramp. Furthermore, incriminating digital communications have surfaced, including a message between the unidentified female suspect and Fajardo that coldly noted:
“He got jump injuries. DELETE INSTA.”
As the investigation continues, the six suspects remain in custody, facing the full weight of the law for their alleged role in this brutal, premeditated crime.
