Erick Morillo Dead: ‘I Like to Move It’ DJ Arrested on Sexual Battery Charges Weeks Before His Death

Weeks before DJ Erick Morillo was found dead at age 49 on Sept. 1, the “I Like to Move It” artist was arrested on allegations of sexual battery. While police told TMZ Tuesday that the circumstances surrounding Morillo’s death were unclear at the time, he had turned himself in on Aug. 6 after a police investigation into an alleged assault he perpetrated in December 2019.

Morillo, who broke onto the house music industry in the ’90s with electro-dance music, was accused of sexual assault by a woman he DJed a party with back in December after the two returned to his house following the Star Island gig, according to an arrest report obtained by The Miami New Times. Upon the arrival at his home, Morillo’s accuser told police he “made several advances towards her, some sexual in nature, but she refused all of his attempts.” The woman threatened to leave and told the musician she would call an Uber to his home, but Morillo allegedly apologized for his behavior and begged her to stay. Agreeing to stay the night in a bedroom on the second floor of his hous, the woman told police she went to sleep fully clothed, but woke up naked, with Morillo standing above her, also undressed. It was then that she began having “flashes” of Morillo raping her and began to feel physical pain.

The woman got dressed and immediately called 911 for help, after which she was reportedly transported to a rape treatment center for evaluation. Miami Beach police also responded to Morillo’s house, who told them he had already spoken to his attorney before agreeing to provide a DNA sample and recorded statement. In his statement, the DJ denied raping the woman, saying he had never had sex with her at all but had instead slept with another woman who was staying at his house. He continued that he walked into his bedroom naked to find his accuser sleeping, and it was then that she woke up. The second woman in the house told police she had not witnessed anything, as she was sleeping downstairs on the couch. On Aug. 6, Morillo turned himself in to police after the authorities announced a rape kit on his accuser came back as positive for his DNA on July 2.