Left to right: Cindy Mishelle Paniagua, Jonathan Enrique Valerio Paniagua (Monroe County Sheriff’s Office).
A 37-year-old mother in Florida is accused of helping her juvenile son avoid law enforcement authorities after the 15-year-old allegedly shot another teenager earlier last month during an argument over a girl.
Cindy Mishelle Paniagua was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with one count of accessory after the fact involving a child, a felony, authorities announced. The defendant’s son, Jonathan Enrique Valerio Paniagua, turned himself over to authorities on March 11. He is facing one count of attempted murder as well as one count of aggravated battery using a deadly weapon over the alleged shooting that left the victim with non-life-threatening injuries.
“I will not tolerate violent crime in this community regardless of the age of the offender,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement following the son’s arrest.
The sheriff’s office added that more charges against Jonathan Paniagua may be pending.
According to a news release from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, deputies at about 9:50 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, 2025, responded to a 911 call regarding shots fired at Key Largo Community Park in the 500 block of St. Croix Place in Key Largo.
Upon arriving at the scene first responders said that “no one with knowledge of the call could be located on scene.”
“A short time later, a 16-year-old male victim with a minor/grazing gunshot wound to the hand as well as injuries to his legs from cell phone shrapnel caused by a bullet was treated at Mariners Hospital in Tavernier before he was airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital in Miami via Trauma Star,” the release states. “Clothes matching the description of the suspect’s clothes as well as wallet with identifying information for Jonathan Enrique Valerio Paniagua were subsequently found in a nearby canal by the Sheriff’s Office Dive Team.”
Following the shooting, authorities say that Cindy Paniagua picked up her son and “helped him flee the area.
“Multiple witnesses stated she refused to contact law enforcement knowing her son shot the other juvenile and instructed others to not call 911 or notify law enforcement,” the sheriff’s office said. “The investigation revealed a disagreement over a girl may have preceded the incident.”
Both Cindy Paniagua and her son are from Homestead, Florida, which is about a 30 mile drive north of Key Largo Community Park.
“This young man potentially ruined his life by attempting to take another life and sadly his mother tried to help him get away with it,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement following the arrest. “Mrs. Paniagua is a bad example for other parents and her actions only made the situation worse.”
Cindy Paniagua was detained and released after posting bond of $50,000. She is currently scheduled to appear in court for her arraignment on May 13, 2025, records show.
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