A Miami-Dade judge sentenced 74-year-old Alberto Molinet to life in prison Friday for the September 2023 shooting death of his wife, Yulima Romero, inside their Allapattah mobile home, a killing their 13-year-old daughter witnessed from start to finish. A jury had convicted Molinet of second-degree murder in July, nearly three years after his arrest.
According to NBC 6 South Florida, police and prosecutors said Molinet and Romero had been arguing before he grabbed an unloaded gun and pointed it at her, pulling the trigger even though it wasn't loaded. Romero then ran and hid inside a bathroom, but Molinet loaded the weapon and fired through the bathroom door, the outlet reported.
Molinet went on to pistol-whip and bite Romero before firing a second shot that struck her, according to the same report, and she collapsed to the ground. Her daughter, who was 13 at the time and witnessed the entire incident, called 911 to report the shooting. Prosecutors said Molinet then forced the teenager to take photos and video of her mother's body.
A Late-Night Shooting at an Allapattah Mobile Home Park
The shooting happened just after 12:40 a.m. on September 10, 2023, inside Royal Duke Mobile Home Park, according to WPLG Local 10 News. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel found Romero dead shortly after 1 a.m., and detectives questioned and arrested Molinet at Doral police headquarters by 8:45 a.m. that same morning, the station reported. He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center after his initial court appearance.
Prosecutors said Molinet was upset because Romero wanted a friend to visit, and that he had been controlling toward her. Molinet was held without bond after his initial court appearance.
Jury Verdict Followed Nearly Three-Year Wait
A Miami-Dade jury found Molinet guilty of second-degree murder in July, according to the Office of Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. The verdict came nearly three years after Molinet's original 2023 arrest.
At Friday's sentencing hearing, Molinet's attorneys asked for the statutory minimum of 25 years, citing his age and medical issues including diabetes and kidney disease, per NBC 6's reporting. The judge said a life sentence was appropriate in the case instead.
Why the Judge Had Full Discretion to Impose Life
Florida's 10-20-Life law, codified at Florida Statute § 775.087, sets a mandatory minimum of 25 years to life in prison when a firearm is discharged during a violent felony that results in death, according to the Law Office of Michael Mirer. That statute is why the defense argued for the floor of that range rather than a higher term. But second-degree murder is a first-degree felony carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, according to Adams, Luka, & Benton PA.
A County Still Grappling With Domestic Violence
More recently, Miami-Dade County recorded a domestic violence offense rate of about 267 per 100,000 residents, placing it in the second-worst quartile among Florida's 67 counties, according to Miami-Dade Matters.
The case highlights the dangers of a loaded gun and a child witnessing domestic violence.
