FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – A Broward jury decided to give a convicted police killer life in prison without parole after deliberating for just a few hours on Monday.
Twenty-two-year-old Jason Banegas sat with a straight face and shook his head toward his defense attorney after the jury foreperson gave the decision.
“Jason Banegas will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. So say we all this 15th day of December 2025, Fort Lauderdale, Florida,” said the foreperson.
The death penalty phase lasted a little over a week as jurors decided the fate of Banegas who pled guilty to shooting and killing an on-duty Hollywood Police officer four years ago.
Earlier on Monday, both the prosecution and the defense presented their closing arguments at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale.
Prosecutors said that Banegas shot the Officer Yandy Chirino twice. He knew that carrying a gun and committing crimes was wrong, prosecutors argued, and that he knew he was taking the life of another human being.
The defense told jurors that life in prison without the opportunity or the possibility of parole should be the fair and just verdict here.
7News cameras found the courtroom packed with family members and friends on both sides of the case.
Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.
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