A grand jury in Florida has charged a 13-year-old boy as an adult in the murder of his mother. Derek Rosa confessed to stabbing his mom, Irina Garcia, 39, in their Hialeah home on October 12 while she slept just inches away from her newborn baby girl. Garcia's husband, Rosa's stepfather, is a truck driver and was not at home at the time of the killing.
According to NBC News, Rosa's father appealed to the court on the teenager's behalf, hoping it would show mercy on Rosa and allow him to be released on house arrest. A judge denied the request, and instead, Rosa was remanded to Miami Dade Juvenile Detention Center without bond.
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Rosa told police he stabbed his mother multiple times in her sleep.
According to police, Rosa called 911 around 11:30 p.m. and said he had killed his mother. In a recording of the call obtained by NBC News, he admitted to stabbing her in the neck multiple times.
The dispatcher said, "I need to know if your mom is breathing." Rosa responded, "Ma'am, she's dead," and there is "blood all over the floor."
The teenager took photos of his mother's body.
Rosa is heard telling the dispatcher he took the images and sent them to a friend he played games with online.
"Miss, I took pictures, and I told my friend about it. Is that bad?" Rosa said, according to NBC News.
He reportedly said he didn't know the friend's real name. "I didn't delete the pictures off my phone, but I sent them to him, and I told him I was sorry and said goodbye to him," Rosa said.
The teen reportedly assured the dispatcher he did not hurt his baby sister.
Garcia's 14-day-old sister was lying in a crib near her mother, but Rosa said he didn't want to hurt her. He also told the dispatcher that his stepfather had two guns, one he took with him and one in the home.
Rosa reportedly wanted to kill himself and loaded a gun but ultimately couldn't go through with it, NBC News reported.
Rosa's family wrote letters to the court.
Rosa's father and grandmother wrote to the court hoping for leniency for the confessed teenage killer, according to NBC News. His father said he was a respectful honor roll student and that he didn't know what led to the killing. Rosa's attorney said he wants the court to remember that Rosa is young.
"My client Derek has strong support from his entire family. It is important to remember that only two months ago Derek was a 12-year-old child. We have full faith in the criminal justice system and due process of law," he said.
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Rosa was scheduled to appear in court on October 31.
The New York Daily News reported Rosa is due for arraignment on Tuesday. According to the newspaper, if convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. Juveniles are not eligible to receive the death penalty.
