The case of Derek Rosa, the teenager who at just 13 years old confessed to having stabbed his mother in their family apartment in Hialeah, continues to raise questions that neither the guilty plea nor the sentencing have managed to resolve.
Two years after that 911 call that shook South Florida, the young man's lawyer, Dayliset Rielo, spoke for the first time after the agreement with the prosecution and offered new revelations in an interview granted to journalist Gloria Ordaz from Telemundo 51.
His statements not only address the legal process but also highlight what, in his opinion, still hasn't been fully understood: who Derek was before the crime, what decisions were made behind closed doors, and how the public narrative of a case that divided opinions was constructed.
"Doing justice for Irina is doing justice for her son."
While the defense focused on representing Derek,部分 of the public opinion questioned who was defending the memory of the victim, Irina García.
Rielo responded directly: “Doing justice for Irina García is doing justice for her son.”
For the lawyer, the process cannot be understood as a confrontation between victim and accused, but rather as a family tragedy in which everyone lost.
“Any person, any family, can at any moment become this family,” he stated.
The attorney insists that her role was not to absolve the pain caused, but to ensure that the rights of a minor, who she maintained from the outset should be treated as such throughout the process, were respected.
"This case was profoundly personal."
Rielo described the process as "deeply torturous," both professionally and personally.
"This case was personal because all my cases are personal. It's not just a file or a client; it's a human being, a family going through the worst moment of their life," he explained.
During the hearings, the closeness between the lawyer and her client became evident. On more than one occasion, she supported him with gestures while he faced particularly challenging moments in court.
The case, which garnered media attention both inside and outside the United States, generated - according to Rielo - a wave of international support.
"I had never seen so many people come together and stand up for the child, supporting the truth and the defense."
However, it also faced strong criticism.
“I believe that the people who criticized come from a place of lacking empathy. Anyone can be Derek Rosa, any family can go through this,” he stated.
The decision to plead guilty
One of the most sensitive points was the decision to accept an agreement with the prosecution. Just before the trial began, Derek Rosa pleaded guilty.
He is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence, followed by 20 years of parole, at the Suwannee Correctional Institution.
Rielo was emphatic in clarifying that the decision was not imposed by the defense.
"In every criminal process, there comes a moment when an offer is made to the client, and that decision rests with the client, no matter what I or the team might have wanted," he stated.
The lawyer did not disclose any confidential details of the conversations with her client, but she made it clear that the final decision was solely hers.
Disagreements in court and family tensions
During the judicial process, disagreements with Judge Richard Hersh regarding the handling of the case became evident. The defense even requested his recusal, a request that was denied.
"Empathy and integrity are always at the forefront of my mind, but a defense attorney must be relentless," Rielo stated.
He also expressed his disagreement with Frank Ramos, Derek's stepfather, speaking as the closest relative during one of the court proceedings, instead of Isabel Acosta, the victim's mother.
“It was an insult and a pain to see a person who is practically a stranger make that statement,” he stated. That episode highlighted the internal fractures of a family grappling with grief and a sentence that did not heal the wounds.
Were there any warning signs?
One of the major social concerns revolves around the adolescent's prior behavior. Were there signs of violence? Were there any precedents that foreshadowed the tragedy? Rielo asserts that there were not.
"He never showed signs of violence before," he stated.
He also urged trust in the state's penitentiary system.
"We must trust that their goal is rehabilitation, not just to impose a sentence."
It emerged during the process that Derek had been diagnosed with autism and attention deficit.
The family has insisted that the relationship between mother and son was "normal," with rules and discipline, but without signs - as they claim - of latent violence.
A story yet untold?
In the interview, Rielo left open the possibility that, in the future, Derek Rosa will share his complete account of the events.
“Out of respect, ethics, and integrity, that story belongs to Derek Rosa”, he pointed out.
The lawyer also revealed that the family received thousands of dollars in donations. The young man expressed his gratitude for the support through a message that his defense shared publicly.
He even set up an email address (DerekRosa@RieloLaw.com) so that anyone with additional information can provide new evidence that could eventually reopen the case.
"Any case of this nature deserves empathy and humanity. Not everyone knows what happens in each home, which is why we must strive to understand and prevent," Rielo concluded.
The father and the grandmother: The mourning after the verdict
The statements from the lawyer add to those made this week by the teenager's father, José Rosa, also in an interview with Telemundo 51.
Visibly affected, he acknowledged that he still cannot understand how the tragedy occurred. He attended every court hearing and watched his son go through adolescence in the midst of a criminal process that culminated in a 25-year prison sentence and 20 years of probation.
He said that he respects the decision to plead guilty and that, when he is able to visit him in prison, he will hug him and hold his hands.
He insists that he never perceived any signs that would foreshadow such a devastating outcome and maintains that the relationship between mother and son did not show any serious conflicts.
On her part, the maternal grandmother, Isabel Acosta, summarized the family drama in a phrase that has marked the case: “They are two different loves.”
She loves her murdered daughter and, at the same time, maintains her unwavering support for her grandson.
She avoids making a definitive statement about whether justice was served and admits that she has not wanted to ask directly why the crime occurred.
It also faces another loss: the distance from her granddaughter, an absence that deepens the family rift.
Two years after the crime that shocked Hialeah, the sentence has been handed down, but the questions remain.
The defense insists that there are still undisclosed elements. The family speaks of an incomplete truth.
And in the midst of that clash of pains remains the memory of a murdered mother and the life of a teenager who will spend much of his life behind bars.
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