After approximately seven hours of deliberation and amidst significant tension in the courtroom, a jury in Miami-Dade recommended on Tuesday, October 20, the death penalty for Alberto Sierra, the 42-year-old Cuban who confessed to having killed his wife, Gladys Machado, and her two young daughters, Julia and Daniela Padrino, in November 2012.
The decision came almost 14 years after the triple homicide and was marked by the anguish of the victims' families. Michael Padrino Jr., the surviving son of Machado, trembled as he awaited the jury's recommendation, according to local media.
Before the reading, Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez requested that everyone maintain composure in the courtroom. Then the votes were revealed, one for each victim:
- Gladys Machado, 29 years old: 11 votes in favor of the death penalty and one against.
- Julia Padrino, six years old: unanimous decision from the 12 jurors in favor of the death penalty.
- Daniela Padrino, three years old: eight votes in favor and four against.
The three results met the minimum required by Florida law to recommend the death penalty.
However, the recommendation does not yet constitute a final ruling. The final decision rests with the judge, who will hold a hearing on November 2nd.
Seven hours of waiting and a visibly distressed surviving child
This Tuesday was devoted to the jury's deliberation, following several weeks of testimonies and the closing arguments presented on Monday by the prosecution and the defense.
According to Univision Miami, approximately seven hours passed before the jurors communicated their decision. The moments leading up to the announcement were filled with intense tension.
Among those present was Michael Padrino Jr., who was just five years old when he lost his mother and two sisters. Now, at 19, he awaited the recommended sentence for the man who had confessed to the murders.
The television report described the young man trembling, with evident distress, as he awaited the outcome. The judge requested to maintain order and composure before proceeding with the reading.
The crime that shocked Miami-Dade
The events occurred on November 10, 2012 in the Flagami neighborhood. Sierra and Machado, in the process of separation, had taken the girls to the Mall of the Americas that day.
In the parking lot, a call from a man to Machado triggered Sierra's jealousy, prompting him to bring the family to the home they had shared under threat.
There, he tied Machado's hands with a nylon rope, tortured her to obtain the password for her phone, and suffocated her with a plastic bag from the Sedano's chain.
Then he killed Julia, who had witnessed her mother's death, and Daniela, who was asleep.
The prosecutor's office also claims that Sierra sexually assaulted the corpses of Machado and Julia.
The three bodies were found three days later inside a wardrobe in the master bedroom, after a neighbor alerted authorities due to the smell of decomposition.
Sierra was arrested on November 19, 2012, and confessed to the crimes to the detective when confronted with DNA evidence.
In his recording, he described how he killed Julia: "She saw that her mom was dead and started crying and screaming. I grabbed the Sedano's bag and put it over her face."
The development of the trial: testimonies and an isolated jury
Almost 14 years after the crime, Sierra pleaded guilty in August 2026 to three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of kidnapping, two counts of abuse of a corpse, and armed burglary, without a plea agreement with the prosecution.
The most impactful moment came when Michael Padrino Jr., the surviving son, now 19 years old, directly confronted the accused in the courtroom: "You! You took them away! You know you did it. You know what you did!".
Padrino was five years old in 2012 and was saved because that day he stayed with his great-grandmother watching "Caso Cerrado."
In front of the jury, he described the void left by the victims: "We were supposed to have more time together, more birthdays, more celebrations, more days when nothing important happened."
During the process, a juror was removed due to the emotional impact of the case: the man, a cancer survivor, reported that he was unable to sleep and that the process was affecting both him and his spouse.
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