Miguel Ruiz Lobo, who was found guilty of murdering Marta Guzman, who was 11 years old, has been in jail for a week already after a jury of 12 people recommended that he be sentenced to life in prison. Two sentences of life in prison were imposed on Ruiz Lobo by a court in Miami-Dade County.
Alexander Merritt, a member of the jury, described this case as “emotionally challenging” in an interview that was conducted exclusively by NBC6.
Merritt, who served as the spokesperson for the jury throughout the trial, vividly recalls the harrowing 911 phone call that Guzman’s sister made when she discovered her younger sister with her wrists and neck severed.
“The 911 call made me cry because it was so upsetting to hear someone in such a panic, especially because it was about your sister,” said Merritt.
Merritt said that it was evident that Ruiz Lobo was the one who murdered Guzman based on the emotional testimonials, DNA evidence, and video surveillance.
The difficult discussion, on the other hand, took place when it came time to determine whether or not Ruiz Lobo should be sentenced to death or life in prison. However, according to Merritt, nearly half of the jury members had a different opinion on the matter. He believed that going to prison was the preferable option.
“I’m locking someone in for premeditated murder, and they’re asking me to premedicate the killing of someone else. If now is the moment to protect or defend ourselves, then so be it,” Merritt said.
During the trial of Ruiz Lobo, Governor Ron DeSantis approved a measure that did away with the need of a unanimous vote in order to propose the death penalty.
The current minimum number of jurors who must be present is eight. Nevertheless, the court addressed the legislative changes during the trial, and it was made abundantly clear that the trial would adhere to the previous law.
NBC6 wanted to know from Merrit whether the newly passed statute would have altered the result of the case if it had been in existence at the time.
“I believe it would have changed it dramatically,” he remarked. It would have been very recent in their thoughts. Given that reality, I believe supporters of Mr. DeSantis would have still voted for the death sentence even if they were aware of it.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, as of this past Monday there were 297 prisoners waiting on death row in the state of Florida.According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the new rule might result in an increase in the number of people put to death.
At this time, Florida has one of the lowest standards to meet in order to be eligible for the death penalty, as compared to both the military and the federal government, as well as all of the other states.
Merritt and the Guzman family feel that justice has been done in this situation.
