Yahorany “Nani” Popoca, a 29-year-old Hispanic mother of six, was a resident of Haines City, Florida. Her family, including her siblings Esmeralda, Alicia, and Mauricio, remembered her with a makeshift memorial after her death, placing balloons and sharing their grief. According to her family, Popoca had been enduring months of stalking and harassment from her former partner before her life was cut short.
On the morning of Sunday, June 30, 2024, Popoca was shot in her car as she
arrived for work at the La Fiesta Mexicana Restaurant in Haines City. In her final moments, she courageously called 911 and described her attacker. When officers arrived at the scene, they attempted lifesaving measures, but Popoca was transported to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.
The attack followed a period in which Popoca had actively sought protection from her estranged boyfriend of seven years, Rolando Guevara Zarate. She had been granted two protective injunctions by judges in the weeks leading up to the shooting, with one issued just six days before she was killed.
Following the 911 call and witness descriptions of a Ford Mustang, police issued an alert for the suspect's vehicle. A Winter Haven Police officer located the car and, after a brief foot chase, took Zarate into custody. According to police, Zarate, who was from Arcadia, confessed to the crime. He reportedly told detectives he was worried Popoca was going to take their children from him and admitted to disposing of the gun after the shooting.
A grand jury in Polk County later indicted Rolando Guevara Zarate on charges of first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty. The State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit has since filed a notice of its intent to seek the death penalty in the case. As of December 2024, the case was proceeding through the court system.
