Nearly eleven years after a deadly crash in Miramar, Nazia Badal, 44, who is listed as living in Arlington, Texas, was arrested Thursday night at Miami International Airport on two Broward County counts of DUI manslaughter tied to the 2013 wreck that killed another driver. Jail records show she was taken into custody around 9:20 p.m. and is being held without bond at a Broward detention facility while court proceedings move forward.
According to Local 10, the warrants trace back to a June 16, 2013 collision near the 2300 block of Red Road in Miramar that investigators say killed a man identified by loved ones as Jose Francisco Zamora. A 2013 arrest report reviewed by Local 10 states that Badal, who worked at Tootsie’s Cabaret at the time, had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.15% and was driving about 15 mph over the speed limit. The report quotes her as saying, “for what, nobody died” and asking, “who’s going to pay for my car?” after the crash.
Jail and court records show Badal was first arrested in 2014, later released on bond, and then failed to appear in court in 2017, which led to an outstanding warrant. Court records also show she is scheduled to appear for a hearing on Tuesday and that she has been placed on an immigration hold.
Crash details from 2013
The original arrest report describes the impact as an “explosion” that left Badal’s vehicle with severe damage and Zamora trapped inside his car, which a witness told police looked like “mangled metal,” according to Local 10. Investigators wrote that Zamora suffered multiple blunt-force injuries and that a toxicology report found no drugs or alcohol in his system.
Court status and custody
Badal is currently being held without bond at the Paul Rein Detention Facility in Broward County while court filings proceed. The Paul Rein facility, located at 2421 NW 16th Street in Pompano Beach, is operated by the Broward Sheriff’s Office, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Legal implications
Under Florida law, DUI manslaughter, which is charged when a driver’s intoxication causes a death, is prosecuted as a felony and carries a mandatory minimum prison term of four years. Penalties increase for higher blood-alcohol levels and other aggravating factors. The statute also requires reporting probation and other administrative consequences following a conviction, per the Florida statutes…