One week after a jury found a man guilty of killing his ex's 11-year-old daughter in 2014, the second phase of his trial began Thursday.
The 12-member jury found enough evidence to convict Miguel Ruiz Lobo of first-degree murder and burglary charges in the killing of Martha Guzman while she was inside her family apartment during summer vacation.
Guzman's body was found near a table in the living room of a Little Havana apartment with severe injuries around the body and multiple stab wounds to the neck area. Police believe Ruiz Lobo killed his ex-girlfriend's daughter after a bad breakup. However, once questioned by police he brought up how Guzman was suicidal. That theory was proven false based on how severe her injuries were.
After two weeks of testimonies from family members and experts, on April 14, a jury found the defendant guilty.
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At the end of phase two, jury members will recommend a sentence to the judge whether the defendant should spend the rest of his life in prison without parole or if he will be sentenced to death.
On Thursday, the jury heard from the victim's mother again and a former medical examiner.
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For the first time, the defense brought a witness to the stand. Ruiz Lobo's sister called via Zoom from Honduras to describe her brother as a man with a traumatic childhood. The sister claimed their parents would beat Ruiz Lobo and he would hold his emotions in.
State and defense attorneys will need to prove aggravating factors during this part of the trial.
According to Cornell Law School, "An aggravating factor refers to circumstances surrounding a crime or tort that are sufficient to raise its severity and punishment to the aggravated version of the offense." Typical aggravating factors include recidivism, lack of remorse, the amount of harm to the victim, and more.
State and defense attorneys agreed on two aggravating factors: one is that the victim was under the age of 12, and the second is that the murder was committed during the commission of another felony, which in this case was burglary.
The jury only needs to unanimously agree on one aggravating factor to consider the death penalty. Then all 12 members will need to vote again to see if death is their sentencing recommendation. If not, Ruiz Lobo will get life in prison.
Gov. Ron DeSantis Thursday signed a bill that no longer requires unanimous jury recommendations for judges to impose death-penalty sentences. This case will be one of the last in Florida that will require all 12 jurors to vote unanimously on a death penalty recommendation. Future cases will only need eight jurors.
