{"id":224606,"date":"2026-04-09T09:57:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T09:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/224606\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T09:57:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T09:57:29","slug":"family-testifies-as-judge-weighs-la-carreta-waitress-killer-fate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/224606\/","title":{"rendered":"Family testifies as judge weighs La Carreta waitress killer\u2019 fate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rafael<\/p>\n

Rafael Andres appears in court for his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Courtroom 4-5 with Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Zachary James presiding at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami. A jury voted to send Andres to Florida\u2019s Death Row for the 2005 murder of La Carreta waitress Yvette Fari\u00f1as, although the judge will have the final say.<\/p>\n

Photo by Matias J. Ocner<\/p>\n

mocner@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n

Loved ones of two women killed decades apart by the same man gave emotional accounts in court on Tuesday as the killer\u2019s attorneys fought to keep him off Death Row.<\/p>\n

Lisbet Fari\u00f1as testified during the Spencer hearing of Rafael Andres, 61, who in 2005 beat, stabbed and strangled her sister, Yvette Fari\u00f1as. Andres\u2019 attorneys had presented final arguments and evidence in the hopes of sparing Andres from execution.<\/p>\n

\"Miami-Dade Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Zachary James presides as Rafael Andres appears in court for his Spencer hearing on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. James will decide whether to uphold a jury\u2019s vote to send Andres to Florida’s Death Row for the 2005 murder of La Carreta waitress Yvette Fari\u00f1as. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

In November, a jury recommended in a 9-3 vote that Andres be executed . But Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Zachary James has the final say \u2014 and will formally sentence Andres to the death penalty or life in prison. In Florida, judges can override a jury\u2019s recommendation if jurors say the defendant should be sent to Death Row.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Killer who stabbed, strangled La Carreta waitress should get death, jury says<\/a><\/p>\n

Monday, Lisbet said, was Yvette\u2019s birthday.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody understands what it\u2019s like to be in the place of a person who lost a daughter and a sister,\u201d Lisbet said. \u201cI have to continue with my life, but I don\u2019t understand why this happened to me and my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"File File art: Prosecutor Deisy Hernandez holds a photograph of Yvette Fari\u00f1as, murdered by Rafael Andres in 2005. Emily Michot Miami Herald Staff <\/p>\n

Yvette Fari\u00f1as was not Andres\u2019 first victim.<\/p>\n

Appearing via Zoom, Rene Azcarreta said he remembers when he, at 7 years old, found his mother, Linda Azcarreta, 32, stabbed to death on the couch inside her home. Earlier that day, Rene had a bad feeling, so he kissed his mother goodbye, told her to not stay home and went off to school.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat image never leaves you,\u201d Rene said. \u201cIt becomes part of who you are, whether you want it to or not. Rafael Andres took my mother\u2026 from this world \u2014 and from me \u2014 in the most violent and senseless way imaginable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Prosecutor, Prosecutor, Gail Levine, holds up a photo of murder victim Linda Azcarreta, 32, stabbed to death by Rafael Andres (pictured in the background) in 1987. Andres later went on to murder Yvette Fari\u00f1as in 2005. Emily Michot Miami Herald Staff <\/p>\n

Andres murdered Linda on March 9, 1987, and was convicted a year later, claiming he killed Linda, a friend of his wife, in a frenzy of drug use. He was sentenced to nine years but walked free after just 18 months due to his good behavior while behind bars.<\/p>\n

The killer, Rene said, left his grandparents mourning the loss of their own daughter while \u201ctrying to hold together a grandson who was trying to make sense of a world without his mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rene Rene Azcarreta attends the Spencer hearing of Rafael Andres, who killed Rene\u2019s mother Linda Azcarreta in 1987. Andres could be sent to Florida\u2019s Death Row for the 2005 murder of La Carreta waitress Yvette Fari\u00f1as. Zoom <\/p>\n

And when he was given a second chance, he used it to \u201cdeliberately, repeatedly, violently\u201d tear another family apart, Rene said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe same hands, the same violence. A different family destroyed,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is not a mistake. That is who he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Final pleas for mercy<\/p>\n

After the victims\u2019 loved ones spoke, Andres addressed the judge in a long-winded statement. Shackled and wearing red jail attire, he said he never claimed to be an angel but has since dedicated his life to Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy actions speak louder than any words,\u201d Andres said.<\/p>\n

\"Rafael Rafael Andres appears in court for his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 in Courtroom 4-5 with Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Zachary James presiding at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami, Florida. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Andres didn\u2019t mention his victims or the impact their murders had on their families. Instead, he said executing him will not bring them back \u2014 and that he would dedicate his prison stay, whether on Death Row or in general population, to preaching religion and mentoring fellow inmates.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime you hear my name, it\u2019s going to be because I did something good,\u201d Andres said. \u201cI\u2019m going to keep defending my faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of Andres\u2019 family members took the stand. Patricia Andres, Andres\u2019 25-year-old daughter, said she keeps in touch with her father \u2014 and seeks advice about what is going on in her personal life \u2014 through phone calls, video visits and countless letters. Andres put his head down and wiped his face with his hands.<\/p>\n

\"Rafael Rafael Andres reacts while appearing in court on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

\u201cI just see the amount of love that he has,\u201d Patricia said, breaking down on the stand. \u201cHe\u2019s just my father. I need him. I will always need him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Esther Almora, the mother of Andres\u2019 children, said she and her family still rely on Andres for his advice and wisdom.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really need him in our lives,\u201d Almora said. \u201cWe will keep loving him and nothing will change that.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Hoping to spare his life, fellow inmates testify for killer of La Carreta waitress<\/a><\/p>\n

On Monday, two Death Row inmates testified on Andres\u2019 behalf, including Chadwick Willacy, who is scheduled to be executed on April 21 for beating his neighbor with a hammer and setting her on fire in 1990 in Palm Bay, Florida. They described Andres as a peacemaker for both inmates and guards, breaking up fights on the prison yard.<\/p>\n

A brutal slaying<\/p>\n

Andres brutally murdered Yvette Fari\u00f1as, a 31-year-old server at La Carreta\u2019s Miami International Airport location, at her home on Jan. 24, 2005. Andres, a handyman, had been hired to do renovations at the efficiency she lived in with her boyfriend.<\/p>\n

The handyman used a spare key to enter the efficiency and beat her in the face until she gave up her ATM card\u2019s pin code, prosecutors say. Andres held her wrists and stabbed her three times in the chest \u2014 but Fari\u00f1as didn\u2019t die.<\/p>\n

He then put a dish towel over her face and strangled her with a cord, according to prosecutors. He attempted to light a fire to burn down the evidence \u2014 but his plan was foiled by a neighbor who had spotted Andres leaving the scene.<\/p>\n

The judge will formally sentence Andres at a hearing on a later date. Prosecutors and defense attorneys will file written arguments in May.<\/p>\n

\"Rafael Rafael Andres appears in court for his Spencer hearing on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 in Courtroom 4-5 with Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Zachary James presiding. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Grethel Aguila<\/a><\/p>\n

Miami Herald<\/p>\n

Grethel covers courts and the criminal justice system for the Miami Herald. She graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), speaks Spanish and Arabic and loves animals, traveling, basketball and good storytelling. Grethel also attends law school part time.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rafael Andres appears in court for his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Courtroom 4-5 with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224607,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":{"0":"post-224606","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami","8":"tag-miami","9":"tag-miami-headlines","10":"tag-miami-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}