A Florida teenager has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after he abruptly confessed to the brutal murder of his mother, a crime he committed when he was just 13 years old.
A Sudden Guilty Plea on the Eve of Trial
Derek Rosa, now 15, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of his 39-year-old mother, Irina Garcia, in October 2023. His surprise admission came just four days before jury selection for his trial was scheduled to begin in Miami-Dade County.
According to reports from Local10.com, Rosa entered his plea as part of a deal with prosecutors. At his hearing, the teenager offered a simple apology, stating "I'm sorry" before Judge Richard Hersch formally announced the lengthy prison sentence.
The Horrific Details of the Crime
Police in Hialeah, Florida, detailed the chilling attack. On October 12, 2023, Rosa stabbed his mother 46 times as she slept next to her infant daughter in their apartment. The prosecution painted a disturbing picture of a teenager obsessed with violence in the lead-up to the killing.
Court documents revealed that, the day before the murder, Rosa told a friend he wanted to be like Jason Voorhees, the iconic slasher from the 'Friday the 13th' films. Prosecutors also stated that on the day of the attack, he showed his girlfriend a graphic video of a veteran's suicide, which reportedly led her to end their relationship.
In a particularly grim detail, authorities said that after killing his mother, Rosa took photographs of her body and sent them to a friend who lived out of state.
A Family Shattered and a Future Stolen
During the emotional sentencing hearing, Frank Ramos, Rosa's stepfather, directly addressed the teenager. "Nothing justifies what you did," he said. "Your mother was a loving mother and a dedicated person. Losing her destroyed our family and changed our lives forever."
As part of the plea agreement, Rosa must have no contact with Ramos or his infant half-sister. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle issued a statement following the plea, emphasising the tragedy of the case.
"The pain Irina Garcia suffered from the 46 stab wounds could only have been surpassed by the knowledge that the person killing her was her own young son," Rundle said. "When he stole his mother’s life, he also stole so much of his own future."
The prosecution noted that Rosa's guilty plea confirmed what he had initially told a 911 operator and police detectives on the night of the murder. His defence team had previously argued that he had diagnoses of autism and ADHD and was emotionally immature, but prosecutors countered that his premeditated actions showed a clear awareness of what he was doing.
