Miami

Man Who Killed His Sister Could Get Second Chance at Life

It was a tragedy that shocked much of South Florida 10 years ago, the brutal murder of an 11-year-old girl at the hands of her brother. Now that man, Ronald Salazar, is speaking on camera for the first time since he was sentenced to two life terms.

Ronald Salazar admits when a judge gave him two life sentences in 2009, he was okay with the punishment because he says he deserved it. But now, because of a Supreme Court ruling, a Miami-Dade judge re-visited his case and the outcome could potentially give him a second chance at life.

A decade ago, the then 14-year-old Salazar confessed he raped, strangled, and murdered his sister inside their South Miami Heights home.

"It's a horrifying confession.. No? And you can't deny that's not you. That that's you," said Salazar in Spanish.

Behind bars, the now 24-year-old tries to explain what led him to commit such a cruel and violent act.

"The boy that did that 10 years ago... for me is a stranger," he said.

Salazar believes his crime could have been avoided and says he lived through multiple traumatic experiences such as parent abandonment, sexual abuse, and gang involvement while in El Salvador.

"Child brains, adolescent brains are structurally and in multiple ways very different than adults," said forensic psychologist, Dr. Lori Butts. "People that are exposed to trauma and violence at an early age are also at a higher risk of engaging in criminal activity, poor decision making, a whole host of psychological problems as they go through their development."

In 2009, Salazar was sentenced to two life terms, but a 2012 Supreme Court ruling gave him an unexpected opportunity for a life outside prison walls.

"Any child who ever got life imprisonment is now entitled to a resentencing," said criminal attorney, Richard Rosenbaum.

Salazar's chance for re-sentencing came in February. A circuit judge lessened his sentence to 40 years with a possibility for a shortened term after 25 years.

"He'll have to prove that he's ready to reintegrate into society, that he's not a risk or danger to the community. Basically that he's learned from the errors of his ways that were committed at a young age," Rosenbaum said.

Salazar admits he's contemplated suicide because living with what he calls an atrocity isn't easy, however, he says the judge's decision is a blessing. Now he can prove he's not that same 14-year-old boy that took his sister's life.

"They are redeemable and they can be good citizens if given rehabilitation, if given the proper resources," Dr. Butts said.

State prosecutors are appealing the judge’s decision to reduce Salazar’s sentence. We tried to contact Salazar’s family for comment but they did not respond to our request.

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