MIAMI (WSVN) - A South Florida father was sentenced for the murder of his own son following a 2023 trip to Walt Disney World.
David Contreras took a plea deal Monday, pleading guilty to the murder of his 21-year-old son, Eric.
“I’m sorry. This is something I can’t get back. I wish there was some way I could. I’m the one who has to live with it and I’ve accepted it,” said Contreras.
Contreras will serve 12 years in state prison, followed by 10 years probation, as a part of that deal.
The incident took place in Nov. 2023, when Contreras fatally shot his son at their home in the area of Southwest 84th Avenue and 107th Street in Southwest Miami-Dade.
“Eric had emotional issues, mental health issues that for whatever reason were not quote ‘addressed correctly.’ And that escalated into a situation,” said Frank Quintero Jr, a defense attorney for Contreras.
After a trip to Disney World, Contreras called 911 to report the shooting.
“I just shot my son,” he told a 911 dispatcher. “I lost it on him, I lost it on him, he wouldn’t stop.”
During Monday’s sentencing, Eric’s friends shared their memories — who Eric was and the impact he had on their lives.
“There’s no real justice in a situation like this, it’s just circumstance,” said Gus Alfonso.
“I’m going to miss throwing touchdown passes to you every late night on Madden, I’m going to miss you messing with us every time you beat us on the fantasy league,” said a friend.
Eric’s girlfriend also spoke and said she felt she lost the love of her life.
“I believe my whole life was right in front of me, I believe that this was it for me, that my unspoken prayer had been answered, all the bad that I had experienced in my life has led me to the person who has cared for my heart the most,” said his girlfriend. “I found the love that people search their whole entire lives for. To sum it up with just one quote, ‘there was before you and there was during you, for some reason, I never thought that there would be an after you, but there was, and I was in it, and I’ll be in it forever.'”
Another friend took the stand and shared what Eric meant to him.
“I would tell him how much I appreciate his presence in my life, I would tell him that he is a motivation to me and that the way he lived still resonates with me,” said his friend. “A spontaneous, loving, excitable young man who simply wanted to enjoy life.”
The friends who took the stand said they were denied a chance to mourn him.
“Eric was confined to a private funeral and burial without the knowledge of the people who truly cherished his radiant spirit,” said his friend.
Other people who took the stand looked right at Contreras and said that they forgave him and hope that he repents for what he did.
“I forgive you. I pray you will repent for what you have done and give your life to Christ cause one day you’ll stand before the ultimate judge of all existence,” said another friend.
Because Contreras pled guilty during his sentencing, his charge was reduced from second degree murder to manslaughter, with no early termination to his probation.
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