More than six years after the murder of Alejandro Sánchez, a 28-year-old known to his family as "Coco," Karina Corbalan pleaded guilty this Monday to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in state prison for shooting him in front of his home in Hialeah.
The plea agreement brought an end to a case that shocked the South Florida community since March 2020 and avoided the trial that was set to begin this Monday, reported NBC Miami.
In addition to 25 years in prison, Corbalan will have to serve 10 years of parole. The court will take into account the time already served since her arrest, which occurred shortly after the crime in March 2020.
Corbalan, who turns 30 this Thursday, faced a mandatory life sentence in Florida if the case went to trial and he was found guilty.
A crime in front of the victim's house
The murder occurred on March 2, 2020, in the vicinity of the 5600 block of West 21st Street, in Hialeah.
Sánchez was sitting in front of his home when Corbalan opened fire on him. The young man was rushed to a hospital, but he died from his injuries.
The couple had been in a relationship for approximately five years, according to relatives. Sánchez had decided to end it about four months before the crime.
The victim's mother, Aymee Sánchez, later stated that her son was shot as many as 15 times.
Part of the attack was captured by security cameras. According to the investigation, Corbalan admitted to detectives that he had fired shots at his ex-partner during an argument related to their past relationship.
When the Hialeah police officers arrived at the scene, they found the woman kneeling next to Sánchez's body.
The case has since received widespread media attention, not only due to the circumstances of the murder but also because of Corbalan's background and the incidents that occurred while she was held in custody awaiting trial.
During that period, she appeared again before a court accused of assaulting a cellmate. There were also records related to domestic violence and a previous case for assaulting a law enforcement officer that had been resolved through a diversion program.
"I never wanted to hurt you."
One of the most tense moments of the hearing this Monday occurred when Corbalan had the opportunity to address the family members of the man he had just admitted to killing.
"I loved Alejandro Sánchez. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt him," she said in court.
Her words found an immediate response from the victim's mother.
"You are a heartless person, you are very wicked," Aymee Sánchez reproached.
The woman had spoken publicly on other occasions about the pain caused by the death of her son.
In March 2021, during a vigil held in Miami to commemorate the first anniversary of the murder, he again described the violence of the attack.
"It was 15 bullets. She didn't stop," she then declared to Telemundo 51.
The mother also recalled the anguish of confronting the death of her son and the circumstances in which it occurred.
"How can you be so wicked? How can you have a heart like that? You destroyed my life and yours," he then expressed.
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