FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Broward County jury heard more testimony as they prepare to decide between life or death for a man who shot and killed a Hollywood Police officer.
Defense attorneys representing Jason Banegas on Monday said that life without the possibility of parole is appropriate in this case, adding that jurors will hear from those closest to Banegas to make that case.
“Everyone here agrees that Jason deserves to be punished for what he did without a doubt. Life in prison without the possibility of parole is a severe enough penalty,” said defense attorney Krista Richman.
Despite the display of sadness shown by the officer’s family during court last Thursday, Banegas’ defense attorney says jurors should not use the power of those emotions to send their client to death row.
His defense team argued in front of jurors that the defendant’s age at the time and background contributed to the fatal October 2021 shooting of Officer Yandy Chirino.
“…And once you hear his story, you’ll know in your heart [that] a vote for life is the right vote,” said Richman.
According to authorities, Banegas, then 18, shot Chirino during an altercation in the Emerald Hills neighborhood in 2021.
Chirino, who was just 28 years old at the time, encountered Banegas while responding to a call of a possible burglary.
Banegas has since pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
Richman claims life in prison would bring justice, and she again promised jurors that they would hear from those closest to the defendant to describe his turbulent life. She said he grew up around abuse and violence and, at one point, even attempted suicide.
Several experts were brought in by the defense on Monday, one of whom shared new information that questioned whether the second shot was fired by Banegas, as described by the medical examiner.
“There’s nothing that suggests that because two bullets were fired, that both of them hit the officer. One of them clearly did,” said forensic pathologist William Anderson.
Another expert, Dr. Robert Ouaou, a neuropsychologist, testified that an 18-year-old’s brain was not that of an adult.
“More impulsive, less attentive, more risk-taking,” he said.
Inside the courtroom, near the jury box, was the bicycle that Benegas was riding the day of the shooting.
Only eight of the 12 jurors have to vote yes for Banegas to be sentenced to death.
More testimony is expected on Tuesday.
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