A 25-year-old man is accused of brutally killing his 35-year-old girlfriend and her 14-year-old daughter in their Florida home. He allegedly stabbed both victims before fleeing the state. The man, Jean Pierre Ojeda Salazar, appeared in court on Monday, and the judge ordered him to stay in jail until his trial.
Salazar is facing charges of first-degree murder with a weapon, second-degree murder with a weapon, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the killings of Alejandra Cabrejo and her daughter, Mariana Cabrejo.
During Monday’s bond hearing, Judge Catherine Catlin denied Salazar’s request for bail. This decision came after hearing testimony from a family friend who claimed to have witnessed the double murder and from one of the detectives involved in the case. Prosecutors argued that Salazar should remain in custody without bail.
“We have a dead 14-year-old girl who doesn’t deserve to be dead, just trying to protect her mother. Anybody who’s willing to kill a 14-year-old to save their own skin should not be free in our society,” Catlin reportedly said from the bench during the proceeding. “Based upon the circumstances of these two murders, I’m going to grant the state’s motion and hold you without bond.”
In response to a report of a 14-year-old Hispanic girl who had “serious injuries as a result of multiple stab wounds,” officers from the Tampa Police Department rushed to a residence in the 14000 block of Riveredge Drive at approximately 8:53 a.m. on November 26, according to a press release from the department.
First responders reported finding both the young victim and the 35-year-old victim when they arrived at the scene. Alejandra and Mariana Cabrejo were eventually confirmed as the victims. It looked that both individuals had sustained multiple stab wounds.
