Donterio Fowler: FIU Student Murder Charges and Evidence

The Donterio Fowler murder case centers on the July 2021 arrest of Donterio Rashad Fowler, brother of NFL defensive end Dante Fowler, on a first-degree murder charge in the December 2016 shooting death of Florida International University student Michael Zaldua. Fowler and co-defendant Keondre Quamar Fields were charged nearly five years after the killing, following a cold-case investigation that pieced together cell phone records, ballistic evidence, surveillance video, and a cooperating witness.¹

What Happened in the Parking Garage

Zaldua, a 21-year-old honors student and freelance photographer, was found shot to death shortly before 11 p.m. on December 2, 2016, inside the parking garage of the 4th Street Commons apartment complex in Sweetwater, Florida. He had been shot at point-blank range.²

The scene pointed to a drug transaction. Cash was scattered around Zaldua’s body, a loaded Glock magazine lay nearby, and a firearm was in his jacket pocket. Officers searching his Jeep recovered several large Ziploc bags of marijuana and a smaller bag of suspected cocaine. Court documents later described the incident as a “drug deal gone awry,” and a witness told police a weapon had been provided to Donterio Fowler specifically “for a narcotics transaction.”²

How the Cold Case Broke

The initial investigation stalled, and the file eventually moved to the Miami-Dade Police Department’s homicide cold-case squad.²

Detectives found that in the days before the shooting, Zaldua had been communicating with a phone number registered to Dante Fowler. The number turned out to be used by Dante’s brother, Donterio, who had listed it on his application to ASA College in Hialeah.³

On July 12, 2021, detectives interviewed Rudi Outar, a former ASA College student, who told them he had stolen a SCCY CPX-1 9mm semi-automatic pistol from a man named Alfonso Randolph hours before the shooting. Outar said he drove a white Audi A4 to the garage that night, handed the stolen pistol to Donterio Fowler, and watched Fowler pass it to Keondre Fields. Outar said he was present at the scene and heard two gunshots.³

The Physical Evidence

Surveillance video captured a black 2014 Dodge Charger registered to Donterio Fowler and a white Audi A4 entering and leaving the garage around the time of the shooting.³ A tire impression left in Zaldua’s blood matched the tires on Fowler’s Charger, DNA analysis confirmed that blood on the underside of the vehicle belonged to Zaldua, and a spent 9mm casing was recovered from the trunk.²

The stolen pistol was never recovered. Investigators did match 9mm shell casings from the scene to a casing kept in the original packaging of Randolph’s stolen gun.³ Based on bullet trajectory analysis, arrest warrants indicated that Fields was likely the person who fired the fatal shots from the rear passenger seat of Fowler’s Charger.²

Arrests, Charges, and Bond

On July 26, 2021, Donterio Fowler, then 25, and Keondre Fields, then 23, were arrested in Pinellas County, more than 200 miles from the crime scene. Fowler was listed as a Pinellas Park resident and Fields as a St. Petersburg resident; both had attended ASA College in Hialeah and played football there at the time of the killing.⁴³

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez III announced the charges on July 27, 2021. Each defendant faces one count of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon.¹ Both were denied bond by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy S. Glazer in early August 2021.³

The Defense Position

Fowler’s attorney, Michael Grieco, disputed the charges publicly. After the arrest, Grieco said he was “anxiously awaiting young Donterio’s transfer to Miami so we can secure his swift release” and that he was “certain” his client “has committed no crime.”² Grieco also indicated he intended to seek bail.⁵ It was not clear from available reporting whether Fields had retained counsel.⁶

Why Dante Fowler’s Name Appears

Dante Fowler, a former University of Florida standout, was playing defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons on a three-year, $45 million contract when his brother was arrested.⁷ His name entered the investigation only because the phone Donterio used was registered under his account. Authorities have not accused Dante Fowler of any involvement in the killing.²

Current Status

Available reporting ends in August 2021, with Fowler and Fields held without bond in Miami-Dade County on first-degree murder charges. No publicly reported trial date, plea, or disposition for either defendant has surfaced in the record, and the case remains pending in the Miami-Dade court system based on the last available reporting.

1
Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Two Charged in 2016 Murder of FIU Student
2
Miami Herald. Two Men Arrested for 2016 Murder of FIU Student
3
WPLG Local 10. Ex-ASA College Students Face Charges in FIU Student’s 2016 Murder
4
NBC Miami. Men Charged With 2016 Murder of FIU Student Appear in Court
5
Court TV. NFL Player’s Brother, 2nd Man Jailed in 2016 Student Slaying
6
Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Brother of NFL Player Among Arrests Made in 2016 Shooting Death of FIU Student
7
Sports Illustrated. Brother of Atlanta Falcons Player Dante Fowler Arrested for Murder