New details have emerged this week in the case of Derek Rosa, the Cuban teenager from Hialeah accused of fatally stabbing his mother in 2023.

According to El Nuevo Herald, prosecutors and defense attorneys argued over the admissibility of “controversial” evidence after the prosecution hinted at a possible motive for the murder: that the young man allegedly killed Irina García to share photos of the corpse with friends. 

The prosecutors describe that pattern as a fascination with blood and violence.

According to the police and the prosecutor’s office, on October 12, 2023, Rosa —who was 13 years old at the time— stabbed her mother 46 times with a kitchen knife while she was sleeping, with a two-week-old baby in a nearby crib.

Although the teenager confessed, the case has attracted national attention due to supporters who claim he is innocent.

During the hearing, Prosecutor Jonathan Borst stated that the State seeks to present evidence to show the jury what he described as the adolescent’s interest in violent content.

Among the mentioned elements is the testimony of a bride who told investigators that, on the day of the crime, Derek showed her a video of a suicide on the school bus; according to her account, he was laughing and joking while showing it, and she ended the relationship.

The prosecution also noted that the young man had shared that video in a group chat with friends.

The prosecutors added that, later that same day, the teenager had conducted internet searches related to homicides, including queries such as “What’s the best place to stab someone?”, “The carotid artery,” and “Can a knife cut through bone?”

According to the prosecutor’s office, less than 10 minutes after the stabbing, Derek allegedly sent photos of his mother’s body and a selfie with his bloodied hand to a friend with whom he was playing video games.

The friend told detectives that Derek was laughing at the images and asked him to call 911 after realizing what had happened.

The defense, led by attorney Dayliset Rielo, attempted to block part of that evidence by arguing that it was irrelevant or prejudicial, and also sought to explore alternative lines of inquiry, according to a report from Univisión.

According to what was presented in the hearing, the prosecutors requested that the defense be prevented from pointing out other suspects, particularly Derek’s stepfather, whom the defense wanted to mention as a possible alternative, although the prosecution asserted that he was working as a truck driver in Georgia at the time of the crime.

The prosecution also requested to limit interrogations regarding whether the investigators followed procedures, while the defense stated that it intends to inquire about possible internal violations: there is an internal investigation related to images of the scene that, according to the defense, were shared in a WhatsApp chat.

Another point of contention was a DNA result from the evidence at the scene, which —according to the prosecution— would indicate that Derek is related to a man arrested in 2016 for sexual assault.

The defense replied that this person was not a known relative and that they were unaware of their whereabouts at the time of the murder.

A trial that alarms the community

The teenager’s lawyers are also seeking to exclude statements he made to detectives from the trial, including a confession.

In the account cited by prosecutors, the young man allegedly stated that he “cut” her in the neck and stabbed her where “a lot of blood comes out”.

The defense argues that those statements should not be used due to the alleged immaturity of the adolescent: before the interrogation, he asked “What is a lawyer?”, said he did not know his address or phone number, and had difficulty reading the word “coercion” when waiving his right to remain silent.

The case continues to accumulate pretrial motions, including disputes over graphic evidence.

In another local coverage, the lawyers have also requested the exclusion of autopsy photographs, deeming them unnecessary and harmful, while the prosecution argues that they are relevant.

Judge Richard Hersch denied a recusal request submitted by the defense and scheduled new hearings for early January, where he will decide on pending motions.