MIAMI (WSVN) – A Hialeah teenager pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2023 stabbing death of his mother.
In court Friday, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Richard Hersch asked Derek Rosa whether he was pleading guilty to second-degree murder, to which Rosa responded, “Yes, Your Honor.”
Family members and supporters of Rosa have repeatedly attended hearings over the past two years, some wearing shirts reading “Justice for Derek Rosa.”
Rosa was 13 when he was arrested in October 2023 after, Hialeah Police said, he stabbed his mother, 39-year-old Irina Garcia, 46 times while she slept in their apartment, located along the 200 block of West 79th Place.
The attack occurred about two weeks after Garcia had given birth.
Police said Rosa called 911 immediately after the killing and surrendered when officers arrived. He also reportedly took photos of his mother’s bloody body and sent them to his friends.
Garcia was found on the bedroom floor with multiple stab wounds, just inches from a crib holding a 14-day-old baby who was not injured.
Prosecutors have alleged Rosa was motivated by an infatuation with the character Jason Voorhees from the “Friday the 13th” horror film franchise.
While Rosa initially confessed to officers, his defense argued the confession should be suppressed, saying he did not fully understand his right to remain silent.
At the time of his arrest, police described Rosa as an honor roll student with no known history of mental illness.
He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by 20 years of probation.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle issued a statement that reads:
“With today’s guilty plea Derek Rosa admitted what he had previously told a 911 operator and what he had confessed to police detectives, that he murdered his mother. 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. The conclusion of this criminal case does not diminish the deep tragedy of Derek’s actions. When he stole his mother’s life, he also stole so much of his own future.”
Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.
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