Man accused of killing another over a stripper released

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A man accused of killing another man over a stripper is now out of jail, no longer facing a murder charge.

In November, eyewitnesses said Stephen Thivierge, 20, was defending a friend from Nelson Vargas and his brother when the Vargases allegedly shot and killed him.

Investigators from the Orange County Sheriff's Office said they developed information indicating to them that Thivierge was the victim of a man in a jealous rage. They said Wilfredo Vargas was angry at Thivierge's friend for getting involved with his girlfriend, stripper Desiree Lutman.

Investigators arrested Vargas's brother Nelson too, accusing him of being involved in the deadly shootout.

On Wednesday Nelson Vargas walked free.

"Why were the charges dropped?" WFTV reporter Kathi Belich asked Nelson Vargas.

"I heard it had something to do with self-defense? I have no idea," he said.

WFTV has learned that a key witness in the case now says Thivierge was the first to pull out a gun.

Prosecutors said it would be nearly impossible to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Vargas and his brother killed Thivierge.

But Nelson Vargas would not tell WFTV whether it was self-defense as he walked out of the Orange County Jail.

"Is your argument that you were defending yourself?" Belich asked Nelson Vargas.

"I don't even want to talk to you all," said Vargas.

Investigators said Vargas could still be charged again any time in the next four months if new evidence comes to light.

Prosecutors said they consider the investigation into the Vargas's involvement in what happened open.

WFTV