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Four years after shooting and killing a man inside a Publix supermarket in Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, the Cuban Osmel Lugo Gutiérrez, accused of the crime, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Lugo, 55 years old, was sentenced this Wednesday to spend two decades in prison for the murder of Franklyn José Piñeiro, a 50-year-old father, on February 5, 2022, during a fight while they were waiting in line to buy lottery tickets next to a cash register in the store.
Last year, a jury found the defendant guilty of involuntary manslaughter and dismissed his claim that he shot the victim in self-defense, according to a report from Telemundo 51.
According to police reports, on the day of the incident, around 6:15 p.m. (local time), the two men were in line to purchase lottery tickets at the Publix located at 106 Ponce de Leon Boulevard when Lugo approached Piñeiro from behind, and they became engaged in a discussion that escalated into a physical altercation.
The supermarket's surveillance cameras recorded the moment when Piñeiro confronted Lugo with his left arm extended and his palm open in a gesture of aggression. Lugo's immediate reaction was to draw a 9 mm Glock from his belt and shoot him once in the chest, resulting in his death on the spot.
Customers and employees of the establishment were shocked by the violent incident, and some stepped aside to try to seek shelter. No one else was injured.
Piñeiro was the father of a 12-year-old boy and worked as an Uber driver, his family revealed.
The accused admits his guilt and asks for forgiveness from the victim's family
This Wednesday, before Judge Christine Hernández delivered the sentence, Lugo addressed the magistrate and pleaded for mercy. The defendant faced a possible sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
“My intention was not to commit a crime, nor to hurt anyone, nor to steal from anyone. I just went to buy food for my family, just as he went for his,” he expressed in Spanish, while being translated into English by an interpreter, as reported by Telemundo 51.
"I have never been a criminal; I have not lived by crime," he stated. "That day I took out my weapon and fired because I felt threatened; I was scared."
Lugo apologized to Piñeiro's widow, Aymara La Guardia, and other family members of the victim.
“I apologize for the pain I have caused you,” he stated. “I can only imagine the anguish you must be feeling since that very day, because I experienced it with my own family.”
As she spoke, Piñeiro's widow wept inconsolably.
Lugo's claims of having acted in self-defense did not convince Judge Hernández.
"You took a firearm, pulled the trigger in the middle of that crowded Publix supermarket, and ended a man's life for no reason," he emphasized.
"That night, the decision you made destroyed the life of the Piñeiro family, ruined the life of your own family, and has ruined your life," he warned, before announcing his verdict.
After the trial, Piñeiro's family told Telemundo that justice had been served. His widow stated that Lugo did not feel true remorse after taking her husband's life. "There was no remorse there; he did not show it, he never showed it," she emphasized.
Meanwhile, Lugo's defense attorneys argued that the sentence was too harsh, and that 10 years would have been a more reasonable punishment; they also announced that their client intends to appeal.
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