Alexa Biviana Avilez, a 21-year-old resident of Arcadia, entered a plea of no contest this week to attempted murder charges related to a shooting incident in 2021, court documents reveal.
Avilez, who was 18 at the time of her arrest on July 20, 2021, was involved in a shooting in a car that occurred during a dispute between teenagers. Originally facing four counts of attempted murder, she agreed to a plea deal that entails a three-year sentence in state prison.
The shooting, which took place on July 17, 2021, involved Victor Cervantes, then 17 years old, who was also arrested in connection with the incident. According to authorities in DeSoto County, Cervantes fired shots into a vehicle near S.W. Hillsborough Avenue, injuring all three occupants.
Responding detectives discovered three gunshot victims at DeSoto Memorial Hospital, who recounted that Cervantes had pulled up next to their vehicle and opened fire.
Victor Cervantes was apprehended and booked on attempted murder charges at DeSoto County Jail, later transferred to a juvenile detention facility in Manatee County. Avilez was arrested two days following the incident.
In addition to her prison term, Avilez was sentenced to two years of community control post-incarceration, followed by one year of probation.
