Inset: Alberto Molinet (Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center). Background: The area near where Molinet shot and killed his wife in Miami, Fla. (Google Maps).
A Florida man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for shooting and killing his wife in front of their teenage daughter.
In July, Alberto Molinet, 73, was convicted by a jury of his peers in Miami-Dade County on one count of murder in the second degree over the death of Yulima Romero, whose age was never reported.
This week, he was sentenced to life in prison by 11th Circuit Judge Zachary James, despite a plea for leniency from the defense.
The underlying incident occurred in September 2023, at the couple's home on NW 30th Avenue in Miami.
Just before 1 a.m. that night, an argument took a drastic turn when the husband grabbed a gun out of an open safe in the living room and "dry-fired" the weapon at the victim, according to a police report obtained by CBS Miami.
"The victim became afraid and hid inside of the residence bathroom while the subject then loaded the firearm," police wrote.
Once the gun was loaded, Molinet squeezed the trigger again, this time sending a bullet through the bathroom door, according to law enforcement. After that, the husband ripped the bathroom door open, grabbed his wife, and proceeded to pistol-whip her.
Next, the defendant bit the victim, then fired a second shot, this time striking Romero and sending her falling to the ground.
"You're not leaving here," Molinet said, before fatally shooting her in the chest with his .357 revolver, according to a press release issued by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office announcing the verdict.
All the while, the violence had occurred in front of the couple's then-13-year-old daughter, who called 911 after shots were fired.
Detectives arrived and found Romero dead at the scene around 1 a.m. and seized the gun. Molinet was arrested by 8:45 a.m. that day, according to a report by local independent TV station WPLG.
"At trial, the defense attempted to blame the child, but the now‑16‑year‑old bravely testified, recounting the murder she witnessed," the state attorney's office noted in the press release.
In turn, the state showed jurors "videos from the child's phone, crime scene photographs, and compelling demonstrative testimony" from the medical examiner who explained how the gun "matched the victim's patterned head injury."
"Jurors also handled the heavy firearm themselves, underscoring the impossibility of the defense's theory," prosecutors said.
In one cellphone video, the daughter is heard telling the father: "You killed my mom. Look, if my mom dies, I will never forgive you," according to a courtroom report by Miami-based NBC affiliate WTVJ.
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors explained that Romero had wanted a friend to come over but Molinet, who they described as controlling, was opposed to the idea, leading to the argument.
Defense attorneys requested a sentence of 25 years, the mandatory minimum, due to the defendant's medical issues, but the judge declined, saying a life sentence was appropriate in the case.
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