Tourist Kills Bystander with Fire Extinguisher After Getting Evicted

A tourist in Florida is facing serious charges, including murder and battery, after allegedly killing a bystander with a fire extinguisher during an altercation at a hotel. The shocking incident occurred on January 8 at the Quality Inn in Kissimmee, just south of Orlando.

According to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the scene after a 911 call reported a person being stomped, kicked, and beaten with a fire extinguisher. When officers arrived around 4 p.m., they found 25-year-old Piero Estefano But-Castillo in the midst of attacking 55-year-old Robert Krusinowski, a hotel guest who had tried to intervene.

Sheriff Marcos Lopez stated during a press conference that Krusinowski, a longtime resident at the hotel, had been attempting to calm But-Castillo down after hotel staff asked him to leave. But-Castillo, a Chilean national, had reached the end of his stay and was reportedly enraged. In the heat of the confrontation, Krusinowski tried to help de-escalate the situation but was violently assaulted instead.

“Mr. Krusinowski was simply trying to defuse the situation, but it angered our suspect, who then beat him to death with a fire extinguisher,” Lopez said.

Court documents reveal that But-Castillo had been smashing hotel property, including a window of an occupied room, before resuming the attack on Krusinowski. The incident was partially captured by another hotel guest on a cell phone. Despite efforts from fire department personnel to save him, Krusinowski suffered fatal head trauma and died at the scene.

But-Castillo, who had been in the U.S. on a tourist visa since January 2024, now faces charges of first-degree murder, resisting an officer with violence, battery on specified personnel, and criminal mischief. He is currently being held without bond at the Osceola County Jail, with an immigration hold in place.

Sheriff Lopez emphasized the importance of calling 911 in situations like this rather than intervening directly, noting that unpredictable encounters like these can be extremely dangerous. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with — it can cost someone their life,” he warned.