Overview
- Judge Richard Hersch accepted Rosa’s guilty plea to second-degree murder just days before jury selection was set to begin.
- Rosa received 25 years in state prison followed by 20 years of probation, and the agreement includes a stay-away order from his stepfather and half-sister.
- Police said Rosa was 13 when he stabbed his mother, Irina Garcia, 46 times in their Hialeah apartment, then called 911 and surrendered; a 14-day-old baby in the room was unharmed.
- Defense attorneys sought to suppress a taped confession, citing autism, ADHD, and questions about his understanding of rights, but the judge ruled it admissible.
- Prosecutors have alleged an infatuation with ‘Friday the 13th’ character Jason Voorhees, and the state attorney said the plea aligned with Rosa’s 911 admission and police confession.