A Florida honors student, Derek Rosa, who stands accused of killing his mother while she slept in front of his infant sister, has confessed to the murder in recently released police interrogation footage.
In the video dated October 13, Rosa, aged 13, revealed to a Hialeah Police Department detective that he used a large kitchen knife to stab his mother, Irina Garcia, 39, to death in October.
The incident occurred on October 12 when Rosa allegedly stabbed his mother 46 times in their apartment while she slept next to his two-week-old sister. Initially charged with second-degree murder, Rosa’s charge was later upgraded to first-degree.
In the just made public video, the investigator said, “You killed her?” He nodded with ‘yes’. The investigator questioned him about the weapon he had used next.
Rosa described the knife he was using as being “big-sized kitchen knife,” indicating its size with his fingers.
The teenager stated that he took his stepfather’s gun with the intention of shooting himself but was unable to go through with it. He informed detectives that he sent two pictures of his deceased mother along with a selfie before eventually dialing 911.
During the investigation, the detective inquired about how Rosa harmed his mother. Although the audio in the video was muted at that point, he was observed pointing to his neck as he responded. Additionally, he mentioned that his mother screamed during the fatal attack.
Earlier this month, it was revealed in a Miami-Dade court hearing that Rosa had researched the most effective way to carry out the attack.
A tentative trial date has been set for February for Rosa, who is currently held at the Metrowest Detention Center, as reported by the New York Post. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment.
