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Jason Banegas, the young man accused of murdering the Cuban officer Yandy Chirino in 2021, changed his plea to guilty this Monday and could face the death penalty, reported local media such as Local 10 and Telemundo 51.
Banegas, 22 years old, pleaded guilty to ten charges, including first-degree murder with a firearm, armed robbery, and resisting arrest, during the jury selection for his criminal trial in Broward County, Florida.
The process will only continue in its sentencing phase, where the young man could be sentenced to death or life in prison.
The state attorney for Broward confirmed that the hearing will continue as scheduled to determine the sentence, while the accused, who will turn 23 on November 9, remains in custody.
"It has been a long and painful four years for the Chirino family, for the police department, and for our community," stated the Chief of the Hollywood Police Department, Jeffrey Devlin. "Today we witnessed the beginning of accountability."
The crime shocked the Hollywood community in October 2021. Officer Yandy Chirino, born in Havana and raised in Miami, was killed while on duty after responding to a call about a suspicious person looking through parked cars in the North Hills Drive neighborhood.
According to the police investigation, Banegas, who was 18 at the time, was carrying a stolen weapon and shot the officer during a struggle. Chirino was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital, where he died a few hours later at just 28 years old.
Chirino graduated from Coral Park High School and Florida International University before joining the Hollywood Police Department in 2017. He was considered an exemplary young man within the force: he had been recognized several times for his performance and was named "Officer of the Month" in June 2020.
After the crime, thousands of people attended the funeral of Yandy Chirino, remembered by colleagues and family as “a true hero.”
Her sister, Yaily Chirino, then said that "she died doing what she loved: helping people."
The case also impacted the attacker's family, as Banegas's 17-year-old sister was arrested weeks later for the theft of the weapon used in the murder.
Chirino's death marked a turning point for the Cuban-American community in South Florida. Four years later, the change in statement from his murderer reopens the wounds of an event that still hurts, but it also represents a step toward justice.
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