MIAMI – A man convicted of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer was sentenced to life in prison on Friday.
A jury convicted 25-year-old David Maldonado in October in connection with the August 2007 shooting of Broward Sheriff's Office Deputy Maury Hernandez.
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"It's a message to everyone out there that they just can't shoot someone like that and think it's over," Hernandez told Local 10's Roger Lohse.
Hernandez was shot in the head in August 2007 after confronting Maldonado for speeding on Pembroke Road in Hollywood. Investigators found a .45-caliber handgun with Maldonado?s blood on it at the scene and two spent bullet casings nearby. They even had two witnesses to the shooting, including Hernandez himself.
In court Friday, Maldonado's mother asked the judge for mercy. So did his wife, who brought their 1-year-old daughter to the hearing.
Maldonado chose not to speak before he was sentenced, not even to apologize to the deputy. His attorney, Alex Arreaza, said it was nothing personal.
"We're still going through the appeal," Arreaza said. "The family, they shouldn't take it that way because everybody's remorseful about what happened."
Hernandez did not see it that way.
"I don't think he's sorry. He pulled the trigger twice. Sorry would maybe be once, not twice," Hernandez said.
The life sentence handed down on Friday afternoon marks the end of the 16-month criminal case, but it's just a step in the life of rehabilitation Hernandez will likely face.