A defense attorney presented a purported authorization to enter the couple’s home, but a detective and family friend challenged its legitimacy.
MIAMI, Fla. — A document offered in court as evidence that a man had permission to enter the home of two Florida residents killed in a Kenya helicopter crash came under sharp scrutiny Wednesday as a judge considered charges stemming from the alleged burglary.
Geybert Alexander Garcia, 40, and Melany Perdomo, 24, are accused of entering the Coral Gables home of Henry Parra, 55, and Adam Hlavaty, 42, and taking vehicles, artwork, jewelry, electronics and documents after the couple died Aug. 19 in a helicopter crash in Kenya. Both were arrested Tuesday.
During Garcia’s initial court appearance Wednesday, defense attorney Paul Basile presented a notarized document that he said had been supplied by Garcia’s family. Basile told the court the document purported to authorize Garcia to possess the couple’s vehicles and enter their property. The document’s authenticity became a central issue during the hearing.
Miami-Dade Judge Mindy Glazer questioned the circumstances surrounding the purported authorization and postponed consideration of bond until she could hear evidence during a probable-cause proceeding later in the day. The document did not resolve the allegations against Garcia, and investigators challenged its legitimacy.
At the later hearing, Coral Gables Police Detective Wilfredo Diaz testified that he believed the document was fraudulent. Lauren Bailey, identified in court as a friend of Parra and Hlavaty, also disputed the claim that the couple had authorized Garcia to enter the house. She said the residence had suffered significant damage during the break-in, including damage to the front door, camera and security system.
Glazer ultimately ordered Garcia held without bond. Perdomo also remained in custody, with jail records showing an immigration hold against her. Both face multiple felony accusations, including burglary and grand theft of a vehicle. The charges are allegations, and neither defendant has been convicted in connection with the case.
Police said the burglary happened sometime between Aug. 20 and Aug. 22. Parra and Hlavaty’s housekeeper discovered the break-in Aug. 23. Arrest reports said the residence had been ransacked and that personal and business documents, jewelry, electronics, artwork and two vehicles — a Land Rover and Porsche Taycan — were missing.
Investigators said they tracked a stolen Apple MacBook and the Land Rover to a residence in northwest Miami-Dade County. Officers executing a search warrant there Tuesday recovered documents belonging to the couple, a Range Rover key fob and several pieces of artwork, police said. One sculpture was valued by investigators at more than $500,000.
The arrest reports do not explain how Garcia and Perdomo allegedly learned that Parra and Hlavaty were dead. A prosecutor raised the possibility in court that news of the couple’s deaths had been publicized, but authorities have not established publicly that the home was chosen because of media coverage. The timing of the alleged burglary came within days of the fatal crash.
Parra and Hlavaty were passengers aboard a Eurocopter EC130 B4 that crashed near Mount Ololokwe in northern Kenya’s Samburu County. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said the helicopter went down at 9:13 a.m. Aug. 19 while flying from the Loisaba Conservancy toward the Ewaso Nyiro area. All six passengers and the pilot died.
Hlavaty was a South Florida real estate executive and co-founder of MRKT Group. Parra had previously served in the Navy as an aviation support technician and later worked for decades in the aviation maintenance business. They were married and were traveling with a group that included several other people with South Florida ties.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority is investigating the cause of the helicopter crash. The separate Florida criminal case remained pending Thursday, with Garcia and Perdomo in custody and the disputed authorization document now part of the court record surrounding the burglary allegations.
Author note: Last updated August 27, 2026.