Authorities in Florida have re-opened the investigation into the brutal execution-style murder of a family nearly 20 years ago, after the two men convicted and sentenced to death in the killings had their sentences commuted by former President Joe Biden.
Authorities in Florida have re-opened the investigation into the brutal execution-style murder of a family nearly 20 years ago, after the two men convicted and sentenced to death in the killings had their sentences commuted by former President Joe Biden.
St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro and 19th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl announced last week the reopening of the 2006 Escobedo family murder case.
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WATCH HEREDaniel Troya and Ricardo Sanchez, Jr. were convicted in 2009 of killing Jose Luis Escobedo, 28; his wife, Yessica Guerrero Escobedo, 25; and their sons, Luis Julian, 4, and Luis Damian, 3.
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The family's bodies were found in the grass alongside Florida's Turnpike in Fort Pierce on Oct. 13, 2006, shot at close range.
Authorities said the boys died in their mother's arms.
Troya and Sanchez were later sentenced to death, but they were among 37 people who had their death sentences commuted by President Biden this past December.
Under Biden's action, all 37 were given life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
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"This decisive action reflects deep concern that such unprecedented leniency for premeditated, family-targeted violence sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the integrity of the justice system," Bakkedahl and Del Toro said in a joint statement.
Bakkedahl’s office is now pursuing state-level capital charges to impose the death penalty on the two in response to the commutation.
"The calculated and unspeakably violent murders of the Escobedo family demand the highest level of accountability," Bakkedahl said in a statement. "With the federal death sentence no longer in effect, we believe the pursuit of justice now rests with the State of Florida. My office is committed to ensuring that the sentence ultimately reflects the gravity of this crime."
The sheriff’s office is dedicating resources to assist in the preparation and advancement of the new case.
"This case left a lasting scar on our community," Del Toro said in a statement. "We owe it to the Escobedo family and the public to pursue every available legal avenue to deliver justice. My office stands ready to support this mission in full."
