Trial begins for two Cubans accused of stabbing a man to death in Hialeah Gardens.

The victim received about twenty stab wounds.

Los dos cubanos acusados del brutal crimen © Miami-Dade.gov
The two Cubans accused of the brutal crimePhoto © Miami-Dade.gov

More than five years after the crime, this week the trial began for Zadiel Rivero and Zandy de la Osa, two Cuban brothers accused of fatally stabbing a man in Hialeah Gardens.

The crime took place on the night of February 11, 2019, in the parking lot of a house on the 8900 block of Northwest 112th Terrace.

Zadiel Rivero, then 38 years old, had a violent confrontation with the victim, Frank Canet.

According to images obtained from a security camera in the area of the incident, during the argument, Rivero stabbed Canet around twenty times in the torso with a kitchen knife, before throwing it on the floor.

Zandy de la Osa, Rivera's brother, then proceeded to place his left leg and a metal tube over the victim's body to prevent it from being lifted.

When Canet finally managed to escape and get into his vehicle, Rivero began to chase him.

The victim's girlfriend, Dilaxy Madruga -who was 18 years old at the time- tried to call Emergency Services, but the call was disconnected when Rivero took her phone away.

The couple was able to escape and managed to reach the Mount Sinai Hialeah Center, but Canet passed away.

On Wednesday of this week, the defense attorneys did not deny the murder, but argued that it was in self-defense because the victim was allegedly intoxicated and threatening Rivero, according to Telemundo 51 citing a judicial source.

Jonathan Jordan, the defense attorney, said that the victim was intoxicated with methamphetamine, a drug that supposedly gave him superhuman strength.

"My client was helping his brother to prevent a poisoned Superman from killing him," said Bruce Lehr, the other defense attorney.

The trial is still ongoing. However, for Zadiel Rivero, this is not the only case in court, as he also faces charges for sexually abusing a girl along with his wife.

Police record of one of the defendants (Miami-Dade.gov)

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