A South Miami man who allegedly killed his wife and posted a photo of her body on Facebook told detectives he shot her because she wouldn't stop punching him and he posted the photo to notify her family, according to a sworn statement released Friday.
The 26-page statement, given to Miami-Dade Police by Derek Medina hours after they say he shot and killed Jennifer Alfonso on Aug. 8, was released by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office following a court hearing Friday.
Detectives begin by asking Medina why he turned himself in following the shooting.
"Cause I'm not a killer. And it was self-defense," Medina said. "I'm very -- I honor my country, I honor my state, I honor my city of South Miami. I do not feel that I'm guilty and I feel like this was self-defense."
The statement was provided hours after a medical examiner's report was released that revealed Medina repeatedly shot Alfonso at point-blank range as she may have been kneeling and trying to shield her face.
The report, released by the Miami-Dade medical examiner Friday, notes Jennifer Alfonso was shot several times in her left forearm, and several bullets traveled at a downward angle, including one that entered her chin and became lodged in her back near her ribs.
Medina, 31, is charged with second-degree murder, shooting a deadly missile and child neglect without great bodily harm in the Aug. 8 shooting. He has pleaded not guilty to the murder and child neglect charges but hasn't entered a plea for the shooting a deadly missile charge.
His trial is expected to begin in November.
The medical examiner's report also noted that gunpowder residue was found on Alfonso's left hand and forearm, and right side of her neck and chin, which indicates she may have been shot at close range. Seven bullets and two bullet fragments were recovered from Alfonso's body, the report said.
Police said Medina shot Alfonso, 26, inside their home after a fight. According to a police search warrant, Alfonso grabbed a knife, but her husband took it away from her and put it back into a kitchen drawer.
According to Medina's statement, he said the fight began when Alfonso became angry that Medina had fallen asleep and not woken her up for a date night.
"And then she started throwing stuff, objects towards me as a weapon. And then I pulled out my weapon," Medina said. "And then I told her, hey, back off or I'm going to call the cops. And she was go ahead, call the cops, whatever."
Medina said Alfonso threw towels, shoes, boxes and other items at him, the report said. That's when he pointed the gun at her.
"I pointed it towards her, I told her to stop. The safety was on, I took it to her, like I pointed it towards her and then she basically said, you know --I told her that the safety was on, but she was like, you're not going to kill me, you're not going to kill me. There's no need for that, but you need to stop punching me. You're not going to kill me and I no, of course not the safety's on, I'm not. That wasn't my motive, I want you to stop touching me and attacking me," he said, according to the statement.
He said she also threatened him.
"She just started throwing punches like crazy. She was like really attacking me. Like I was getting out of the way and got hit in the arm and she was like going for my temple," he said, according to the statement. "I felt like she was, you know, she was trying just to take me out. And then also she does make threats upstairs about me dying and she hopes I die, and that she'll get someone to kill me, whatever it is. And she did make those threats upstairs."
Medina said Alfonso continued to throw things and went down to the kitchen and grabbed a knife.
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"I went downstairs, you know, confronted her, saw what she was doing and she had a knife in her hand," he said. "I grabbed her hand and grabbed the knife in my right hand, put it back in the drawer, she kept on punching me like crazy again and then I fired."
Medina said he shot Alfonso six to eight times before he put the gun away. Alfonso's 10-year-old daughter was home during the alleged murder but wasn't harmed, police said.
"Well, she was still (unintelligible) and throwing punches even when I did shoot her a couple of times, she was still fighting. I put it upstairs in the closet again, on top of the pants and then I got some pants and jeans," he said. "I talked to my stepdaughter, I told her to keep this door closed, don't come downstairs. I told her to stay there. Then I went downstairs, I took the picture, and then I just locked the door."
According to the warrant, Medina admitted to posting the gruesome photo and an admission on his Facebook page before he surrendered to police.
"Im going to prison or death sentence for killing my wife love you guys miss you guys take care Facebook people you will see me in the news," he wrote. "My wife was punching me and I am not going to stand anymore with the abuse so I did what I did I hope u understand me."
Medina said he posted the photo to notify Alfonso's family, according to the statement.
"Why did you take her photo?" a detective asked.
"So the family would know and be notified and they could rush over there and get my stepdaughter," he said.
"And what did you do once you took that photo?" the detective asked.
"Uploaded it on Facebook. On her page, so the family can see," he said, according to the statement.
"And when you uploaded it on her page, did you upload it on your Facebook page as well?" the detective asked.
"Correct. Because I have her family and friends on my Facebook too," Medina replied.
Medina was asked about his boxing career and he told detectives he had a 25-0 record as an amateur, and had gone professional in 2007.
He said he feared for his life and was left with marks on his chest and a severely bruised left arm from Alfonso punching him. He also said he had been abused by Alfonso throughout their four-year marriage.
The detective also asked why Medina didn't call 911.
"Cause I figured that I had to solve it on my own," he said. "I dealt with this for four years and I never had to call the cops. We've been able to resolve it. I didn't know it was going to get to this."
One of Medina's attorneys told the Miami Herald he hadn't had a chance to review the autopsy report. Medina's attorneys are expected to ask a judge to release Medina on bail next week, the Herald reported.
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