The death of Nubia Barahona and the torture of Victor Barahona, allegedly at the hands of Jorge Barahona and his wife, Carmen, involves a case that's been haunting South Florida for five years. There's still no date in sight for the murder trials.
"It is par for the course. Again, two defendants and you also have the additional case up in Palm Beach County that's going to go to trial first," explained Attorney David Weinstein.
Jorge Barahona is charged with attempting to kill his adopted son, Victor, in Palm Beach County. That's where his pickup truck was found, with Jorge passed out on the ground, Victor soaked in toxic chemicals, and Nubia's body in the back.
That attempted murder trial in West Palm Beach is scheduled to begin in July. So why is it taking so long to get the murder trials going in Miami?
"Because this is a death penalty case. It's not a case that's going to be ready for trial in two or three months," Weinstein explained.
Weinstein is not involved in the Barahona cases. He said because there are two defendants, it's complicated.
"Now you're getting ready for two cases in two different counties and as you mentioned, you have two defendants in this case and they're entitled to representation independent of each other," he said. "There may be competing theories of defense, one may be pointing the finger at the other, one may be testifying, one may not. So it takes a lot to get ready for a case this complicated."
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Then there's the expense of the delay: Carmen Barahona has a public attorney from the Office of Regional Counsel. Jorge Barahona has a court-appointed lawyer. The legal bills add up quickly.
"While they're going to be building up a number of hours, remember, these are reduced, court-appointed rates," Weinstein said.
