MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – After an undocumented Honduran migrant was convicted of murder and sexual battery and a Miami-Dade County jury recommended the death penalty, reports of jury misconduct surfaced.
Records show the juror recently sent two emails to Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Michelle Delancy and a Facebook message to a public defender accusing his fellow jurors of misconduct.
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He claimed some jurors said the defendant, Ronald Lopez-Andrade, didn’t look remorseful enough and he was concerned some were solely making their sentencing vote based on how he looked. The juror also claimed one juror wanted them to vote again, but others said the vote was final.
The juror further claimed that one juror compared sentencing the defendant to death to “killing invasive animal species,” which the juror who wrote to the judge found to be xenophobic due to Lopez-Andrade being an undocumented migrant.
In 2016, detectives accused Lopez-Andrade of beating, raping, torturing, and killing Yami Guevara, 30, who was a guest at a motel in Hialeah.
He was convicted of first-degree murder and sexual battery on Oct. 15, 2024.
According to an arrest report, in April 2016, Guevara Machado was at the Chesapeake Motel, located at 935 W. Okeechobee Road, with a friend, and Andrade was seen in the lobby of the motel asking employees if there were any prostitutes at the motel.
Police said the friend left the room for a short time and Guevara Machado, who was wearing only a bra and jeans, was accidentally locked out of the room.
Despite what was written in the police report, Guevara Machado’s family insisted that she was with her boyfriend when they both got locked outside the room during an argument. Guevara Machado’s sister, Juliet Machado, told Local 10 News that her sister’s boyfriend said he was going to get the room key, but left her stranded at the motel.
Detectives said Andrade then struck up a conversation with the victim and allowed her to wear his shirt.
But Andrade quickly became outraged when Guevara Machado refused Andrade’s sexual advances, detectives said.
According to the report, Andrade straddled Guevara Machado, beat her and covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming.
Detectives said he removed the victim’s pants when she was no longer moving and attempted to have sex with her, but he could not get an erection.
Police said after Andrade noticed that Guevara Machado, whose face was covered in blood, was not moving, he quickly left the scene.
Guevara Machado’s naked body was later found in a grassy area near the motel with her clothes nearby, authorities said.
Delancy is set to hold a hearing on the issue regarding the jury’s sentencing recommendation on Friday.
Here are the messages the juror sent to the judge: