A Miami man guilty of murder in the 2014 killing of an 11-year-old girl that had been made to look like a suicide will be spending the rest of his life behind bars.
Miguel Ruiz Lobo had been convicted earlier this month on first-degree murder and burglary charges in the death of Martha Guzman.
Ruiz Lobo had been facing either life in prison or the death penalty but a jury did not unanimously agree he should be sentenced to death and ultimately decided to recommend sparing his life Monday. A judge formally sentenced him to life in prison on both counts.
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Ruiz Lobo killed the 11-year-old on June 22, 2014. Family members found the child dead inside their Little Havana apartment. At one point, Ruiz Lobo told police Guzman was suicidal.
However, during the trial, experts testified that the injuries were not self-inflicted. Miami-Dade Chief Medical Examiner explained to the jury Guzman’s throat was stabbed multiple times, knife scrapes were found around her four-foot body, and her wrist was cut deep into the bone.
The jury Monday unanimously agreed Ruiz Lobo committed first-degree murder to a person under 12 years old and while he was engaged in the commission of a burglary. However, not all jurors agreed the murder was "especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel."
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Nearly 10 years after her death, loved ones described Guzman as a joyful little girl who loved to play with her neighborhood friends and siblings.
Why Ruiz Lobo killed the child is unclear, but police said he was probably upset after Guzman’s mother kicked him out of the apartment.
During closing statements, Assistant State Attorney Laura Adams told the jury video surveillance captured the defendant entering and exiting the crime scene around the same time Guzman was killed.
Adams also highlighted how the defendant's DNA was found under Guzman’s fingernails. Adams believes the child was trying to defend herself and scratched Ruiz Lobo while fighting for her life.
Ruiz Lobo’s attorney, Steven Neal Yermish, said his client was innocent. During his closing statements, he argued the security footage did not capture a clear image of the man’s face. He also attacked the police investigation for the lack of evidence.
