86º

Mother says man in May double shooting killed her son in March

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Carolyn Villalobos said she couldn’t believe the man who told police officers he had killed her son earlier this year was free to shoot two other people on Thursday in Miami-Dade County.

Villalobos said the shootings could have been prevented if Clemente would have been arrested as a suspect in the murder of her son Frankie Cordero, 27, who turned up dead on March 2 near Homestead.

Frankie Cordero, 27, was found dead on March 2, near Homestead. (Copyright 2020 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

Jonathan Clemente stands accused of shooting his 23-year-old ex-girlfriend once in the chest and her 30-year-old friend twice — including once in the head.

“He was shot in the same place as my son, exactly in the same place, so it’s not like this guy doesn’t know what he is doing,” Villalobos said about Clemente.

Clemente, 23, confessed to stalking his ex-girlfriend and shooting her and her friend on May 20th near the intersection of Southwest 98th Avenue and Southwest 50th Street, police said.

Jonathan Clemente is facing charges in a double shooting in May and is under investigation for a fatal shooting in March. (Copyright 2020 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

Villalobos still can’t believe Clemente would be free after telling police that he shot and killed her son. The two were friends. Clemente told detectives he shot him in self-defense.

Villalobos doesn’t believe him.

“It’s just not right. My son wasn’t carrying a weapon. He wasn’t a criminal,” Villalobos said.

Tatiana DeLeon said her brother is still hospitalized and fighting for his life after Clemente shot him about four days ago.

“The doctors don’t know if he is going to make it,” DeLeon said. “I am very frustrated and confused about why this man was out. Why was he not in jail?”

Records show Clemente was being held without bond on Monday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Both victims in the May shooting survived. He is facing two counts of premeditated attempted murder. The March shooting remains under investigation. Villalobos said she wants justice for her son.


About the Authors

Alex Finnie joined the Local 10 News team in May 2018. South Florida is home! She was raised in Miami and attended the Cushman School and New World School of the Arts for high school.

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

Recommended Videos