TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Heather Toledo would be celebrating her 39th birthday with her family on Saturday, but her life ended at 37 after her now-fugitive husband allegedly shot her in front of one of their daughters.
One year ago, Dec. 15, 2022, Enrique Toledo was supposed to be in court for a hearing for allegedly violating a no contact order involving the couple’s children.
The Toledo’s three girls now live with Heather’s brother, Stephen Green, and his wife, Michelle. They thought the timing of the hearing was potentially perfect.
“Her birthday is Dec. 16, and so we were so excited about the best birthday present for Heather for him to go back to jail on Dec. 15,” Michelle Green said. “But he ran.”
The night before the hearing, Toledo cut off an electronic monitoring device and he has been on the run since then.
“We have not been able to grieve in the greatest way because there’s a closure piece that’s not there,” Green said. “It’s because their mother is gone at the hands of someone else who’s out living his best life.”
The 12 months brought a series of frustrating discoveries for Toledo’s loved ones.
An 8 On Your Side review of Hillsborough County first-degree murder records since the start of 2020 uncovered out of 126 cases, nearly 60% of the defendants were held without bail.
Toledo’s was set at $150,000, one of the ten lowest for all of the accused killers.
The Greens said the bail was too low and made it easier for Toledo to run. Toledo, who admitted killing his wife on a 911 call to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, had a head start of several hours before anyone knew he was gone.
The prosecutors and Green found out only a short time before the Dec. 15 hearing.
“Shock is not even the word. I don’t even have a word. Stunned,” Green said. “It was pain. Pain for the girls and then it was pain for Heather.”
The judge’s decision not order forfeiture of bail left Toledo’s family even more frustrated.
That meant the bondsman would not lose any money and would not be obligated to help authorities track down Toledo. The bondsman has told 8 On Your Side he is actively looking for the fugitive.
“People should be held accountable for what they do,” Green said. “The judge should be held accountable for letting him out on bail on a stupid ankle monitor that could be removed. There needs to be accountability everywhere.”
The family Heather Toledo left behind will continue looking over their shoulder until the man who admitted killing her is behind bars.
“There were so many problems. There’s fault here. There’s a mistake there and now he’s on the run,” Toledo said. “It’s a movie. It’s not real life. This is unreal that this happened and continues to happen.”
The U.S. Marshals Service is leading the search for Toledo and can be contacted with tips about him through this link.