A man who admitted fatally shooting a Hollywood police officer in the face while struggling over a gun in 2021 pleaded guilty Monday in a surprise move that clears the way for a jury to decide whether this is a case for the death penalty.
Jason Banegas pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and multiple related counts of armed burglary and resisting arrest. He did so with no agreement or promise of leniency from the state, which is still seeking the death penalty for the murder of Officer Yandy Chirino, a four-year veteran of the Hollywood Police Department who confronted Banegas, then 18, on suspicion of breaking into cars in the Emerald Hills neighborhood on Oct. 18, 2021.
Banegas told investigators at the time that he was trying to kill himself with the stolen 9 mm semi-automatic handgun he was carrying and that he thought Chirino was out of the way when he pulled the trigger.
Chirino was rushed to Memorial Hospital in Hollywood, where he was pronounced dead.
In court Monday, Banegas, now 22, offered no explanation for his behavior four years ago or his decision on the eve of trial. He pleaded guilty, admitting fault, rather than no contest, which would have accepted a conviction and its consequences without making an admission.
Hollywood Police Department/Courtesy
Officer Yandy Chirino, 28, a four-year veteran of the Hollywood Police Department, died after being shot on Oct. 17, 2021, during an altercation with a teenage suspect. (Hollywood Police Department/Courtesy)
Jury selection was scheduled to get underway Monday, with testimony to begin next month. Broward Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra said he would still start selection on Monday afternoon, but instead of deciding whether Banegas is guilty, the jury will be asked to decide whether he deserves to die. A death recommendation from at least eight of 12 jurors is required to authorize a judge to impose the death penalty.
It’s rare for a defendant in a capital case to plead guilty, especially without an agreement with prosecutors to take the death penalty off the table. The last high-profile defendant to plead guilty and go straight to the penalty phase was Parkland mass shooter Nikolas Cruz, who managed to convince three jurors to sentence him to life instead of death in 2022. At the time, a jury’s death recommendation had to be unanimous. Outrage over the decision spurred the Florida Legislature to pass a new law requiring a two-thirds majority to authorize the death penalty.
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Originally Published: October 27, 2025 at 12:12 PM EDT