CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – It has been more than four-and-a-half years since 21-year-old Daniela Tabares was shot and killed in Coral Springs, but her family is now getting justice knowing her killer has been found guilty on charges of murder and tampering with evidence.
Yvonne Serrano was convicted of killing Tabares, who she met and befriended at the gym where they both worked out.
In November 2019, Coral Springs police said Serrano, now 56, shot and killed Tabares outside of her home off Northwest 100th Drive.
Investigators learned that night that Tabares offered to drive Serrano home after a night out drinking with friends from the same gym.
Serrano claims she was intoxicated and blacked out. She said she woke up the following morning to find Tabares lying in her driveway with part of her body hanging outside of her vehicle.
Isabel Tabares, the victim’s mother, said she watched while a jury spent more than two-and-a-half days deliberating before arriving at the guilty verdict.
“Me as a mother, she took away everything from me,” Tabares said in Spanish. “They found her guilty. Now we wait for the sentencing.”
While Tabares knows she will never see her daughter again, she is hopeful Serrano will remain behind bars, where she is unable to hurt anyone else.
“It was a tragedy for everyone,” she said.
Serrano is scheduled to be sentenced in Broward County court on the morning of Aug. 12.