MIAMI – An arraignment hearing was held Thursday morning for the man accused of fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend's daughter, a day after he was indicted on first-degree murder charges by a grand jury.
Prosecutors will now file a notice to seek the death penalty for Miguel Ruiz Lobo.
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Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa said Lobo killed Martha Guzman, 11, on June 22, slashing the girl's wrists to make it look like she killed herself. Guzman's mother found her with a knife sticking out of her neck.
Orosa said Lobo, who was an ex-boyfriend of Guzman's mother, used a hidden key to enter the girl's Little Havana apartment while she was home alone. He said Lobo was upset because he believed Guzman convinced her mother to break up with him.
Surveillance cameras from a neighbor's home showed Lobo entering and leaving Guzman's home during the time she was believed to have been killed.
Lobo is also charged with armed burglary with assault. He continues to maintain his innocence.
Lobo's trial is expected to begin Nov. 3.