A Florida man accused of shooting 2 of his co-workers and then holding them hostage before beating and stabbing them to death using an assortment of office supplies pled guilty to 1st-degree murder just days into his trial.
Jose Rojas, 55, also said in a 3-page letter to the judge that he would like to receive the death penalty for his actions, a fate that the jury will now deliberate next month as the trial moves to the penalty phase.
The defendant has been held without bail at the Miami-Dade County Pre-Trial Detention Center since April 28, 2012, one day after the brutal murders of his boss, Frances Venezia, 49, and co-worker, 78-year-old Robert James.
Miami-Dade Police responded to the scene of the murders after a woman could be heard screaming for help at the Coral Gables office of Professional Public Adjusters, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
Once inside, officers discovered the bodies of Venezia and James, whose mouths were stuffed with rags and feet and hands were bound by duct tape, according to the affidavit.
The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner would later determine the 2 died of blunt force trauma, but also noted a number of other injuries the pair sustained in the attack.
Rojas attempted to flee the scene when cops arrived, but officers chased him down and arrested him after seeing that he was covered in blood, according to the affidavit.
Rojas eventually confessed to the killings, telling police he waited in the office wearing a dark hood and shot both Venezia and James with a pellet gun when they walked into work that morning, according to the arrest affidavit.
He told police that he then bound them both to their office chairs using duct tape while demanding Venezia okay a large withdrawal from her checking account.
At some point, Venezia started to scream so Rojas began to hit her with a mop, he told police.
James then also started to scream, and Rojas said the next thing he remembers is being covered in blood.
Prosecutors say that what Rojas claims he does not remember is beating Venezia and James to death using a hole puncher, letter opener, and the blade from a paper cutter.
In their opening statement, prosecutors even produced the bloody hole puncher and duct tape to show jury members.
in his opening statement, Rojas' attorney said that his client suffered from acute depression brought on by childhood trauma as well as brain injuries from years of playing soccer.
In addition to entering a guilty plea, Rojas also submitted a three-page letter to the judge saying that he wishes to die.
"I’m tired, really tired and I want to end this for all of us as fast and easy as I can. From what I understand, your honor has the power over my life and your honor is the most intelligent person in this room," writes Rojas. "So I’m asking you if I change my plea ... what I really, really want can your honor make the order for the state to kill me quickly?"
It will be a jury who decides, and Rojas will be the first defendant in the state under the Gov. Ron DeSantis' new death penalty law.
That law eliminates the need for a unanimous jury vote to sentence a man to death and now requires just 8 members of the jury to be in agreement.
Rojas could also request that the judge decide.
Jurors, who were dismissed after just one day of testimony, were sent home last week but told they may be returning in late January to determine Rojas' fate.
Rojas' sudden desire to be put to death has at least one of his victims' family members hoping he lives a long life.
"I would hope he never dies," Nicolina Venezia told a Miami Herald reporter outside court last week. "I think it should haunt him for the rest of his life.”
Rojas' attorney said last week that he believes seeing the actual office supplies used to kill the victims and photos of the crime scene caused Rojas to suddenly change his plea.
Source: insideedition.com, Staff, December 12, 2023
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