Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case of a man who was caught on surveillance camera allegedly committing an execution-style murder earlier this year in Miami.
A dozen of Leandro Lopez's family members showed up at the Miami courthouse Friday wearing T-shirts with his picture on them. It's the last picture he took holding his 1-year-old son the day he died.
"Leandro was a beautiful person, he was an only child, very loved, and his family misses him a lot," said his aunt Ada Vega.
Lopez's final moments and execution-style murder were captured March 24 on a parking lot surveillance camera.
The defendant, David Paneque, is seen getting out of his pick up truck and fighting with Lopez. They struggle on camera and Lopez appears to be pleading for his life before police say Paneque shoots Lopez at close range, removes something from his body and drives off.
At the time, Paneque was out on probation for armed robbery and attempted murder and had been ordered to be deported back to Cuba in 2017. But Cuba wouldn't take him, leaving him on an order of supervision by ICE.
"We feel like the laws should be more strict about that," said Vega.
After the crime, police interrogated Paneque for an hour where he pleaded the fifth and asked for an attorney.
Now, prosecutors say they're pursuing the death penalty in the case after a grand jury returned an indictment of first degree murder earlier this week.
"We are very happy, we really want that to happen," said Vega.
Family members of Lopez tell NBC 6 Lopez and Paneque were not friends and that they don't know why the two were together that day.
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A motive remains unclear.
