MIAMI – The man convicted of fatally shooting a cyclist on the Rickenbacker Causeway in 2019 was sentenced to life in prison Thursday.
Kadel Piedrahita, 46, was found guilty last month of second-degree murder for the shooting death of cyclist Alexis Palencia, 48, and guilty of aggravated assault with a firearm on a second cyclist named Cesar Sosa.
During the emotional sentencing hearing, the convicted killer offered an apology to the victim’s family, but it did little to sway the judge or Palencia’s loved ones.
“I want to tell you from the bottom of my heart that I’m sorry,”Piedrahita said, addressing the courtroom. He claimed he did not intend to take Palencia’s life that day.
The judge, however, was unmoved by his words, describing the crime as cold-blooded and brutal.
“You shot an unarmed man in broad daylight, in a public road, an act that could have been an even greater disaster,” the judge said before handing down the maximum sentence.
Palencia was killed along the Rickenbacker Causeway in 2019 after the defendant, riding a motorcycle, followed a group of cyclists and confronted Palencia, ultimately shooting him. Just before the incident, the convicted man had posted a profanity-laced rant on Facebook, directed at Palencia.
No one spoke in support of Piedrahita during the sentencing, and none of his family members attended the trial. His public defender noted that the incident had cost him his own family as well.
Piedrahita, who was also found guilty of aggravated assault with a firearm, has 30 days to appeal the sentence.
After the guilty verdict, Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle released the following statement:
“The 2019 fatal shooting of bicyclist Alexis Palencia on the Rickenbacker Causeway appalled our entire community and particularly shocked members of Miami-Dade’s tight-knit bicycling community. Despite Kadel Piedrahita’s claim that he shot in self-defense, the jury decided otherwise. They weighed all the evidence, heard all the testimony, and decided that Piedrahita was indeed guilty of 2nd degree murder.
“I applaud the talented prosecutorial team of Assistant State Attorneys Arvind Singh and Conor Soper for effectively bringing forth the important case elements that drove Piedrahita to commit this senseless act of violence.
“I hope that the family of Alexis Palencia has gained some sense of justice with this verdict knowing that nothing can replace the senseless loss of a loved family member.”