The McDonald's Murder: How CCTV and Digital Trails Solved a Miami Homicide

On a morning in south Florida, a young man named Gabriel Perez made what would be his final journey. He drove to a McDonald's parking lot in the Miami-Hialeah area, believing he was meeting a woman he knew. Within minutes, he was shot dead. The case, now featured on Investigation Discovery's acclaimed true-crime series *See No Evil*, illustrates how contemporary investigative techniques—particularly surveillance cameras and digital forensics—have transformed homicide investigations worldwide.

The crime itself was meticulously planned deception. Perez had been exchanging messages with a woman named Isetta Culie, someone from his past. Their conversation appeared casual, unremarkable. But the messages were part of a fatal conspiracy. When Perez arrived at the McDonald's in the pre-dawn hours around 5:09 a.m., he sent what would be his last message to Isetta at 5:21 a.m., confirming his arrival. Shortly after, he was murdered in the parking lot.

What Perez didn't know was that his messages to Isetta may not have been from her at all. Digital forensics revealed that someone else—later identified as Miguel Culie, apparently connected to Isetta—was active in the area and on mobile communications at the critical moments before the shooting. Security footage from a nearby restaurant, The Frying Pan, captured Miguel Culie leaving the business at approximately 5:16 a.m., placing him in the vicinity moments before Perez's death.

The investigation hinged on what many might consider mundane modern infrastructure: surveillance cameras. The McDonald's security footage proved invaluable, documenting Perez's arrival and capturing images that would later help identify the perpetrators. This reliance on CCTV is not unique to Miami—Scandinavian countries including Denmark have similarly invested in public surveillance, making it a critical tool in modern policing across different legal systems and jurisdictions.