MIAMI (WSVN) - The selection of jury members has begun in the trial of Kadel Piedrahita, the man accused of killing a cyclist on the Rickenbacker Causeway in 2019.
According to police, Piedrahita said he shot and killed a biker after a confrontation. The man who died was identified as 48-year-old Alexis Palencia.
Cellphone video showed the heated altercation that led to the deadly shooting along the causeway.
Piedrahita turned himself in days later and was charged with once count of second-degree murder and one count of aggravated assault with a firearm.
Piedrahita claims he was defending himself and plead not guilty to second-degree murder in September of 2019. In a following court appearance three months later, Piedrahita asked a judge for the chance to go home.
Ultimately, the judge would side with the prosecution and denied his bond.
“As a human being, we make mistakes,” Piedrahita said. “If you would consider to give me one chance and for me to go home.”
The trial will begin after the jury is selected.
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