MIAMI (WSVN) - A South Florida man who was convicted last month in the 2019 fatal shooting of a cyclist on the Rickenbacker Causeway was sentenced to life in prison.

Kadel Piedrahita was in tears throughout Thursday’s sentencing.

“So, in summary, this was a cold-blooded, brutal murder, a product of rage and anger,” said Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Alberto Milian.

The defendant, 46, was accused of shooting and killing 48-year-old Alexis Palencia on the causeway on Aug. 14, 2019.

In court on Thursday, the Piedrahita was given a life sentence with a 25-year minimum.

“The defendant is hereby sentenced to life in prison on count one,” said Milian.

He was also sentenced to five years on an aggravated assault charge.

Piedrahita was on his motorcycle next to the group of cyclists with whom Palencia was riding. The defendant’s lawyers said the victim started a fight with him, and their client had to shoot in self-defense.

Piedrahita’s attorneys said he and Palencia had bad blood brewing for up to a year before the crime occurred, as they both routinely rode in the same cycling group. It remains unclear what the bad blood brewed from.

The defense said that either Palencia or another cyclist he was with had a gun, but that alleged second gun was never found by police.

But after deliberating for a few hours, the jury didn’t buy the defense’s argument and found Piedrahita guilty of all charges.

During his sentencing hearing, Piedrahita apologized to Palencia’s family.

As the defendant cried, he told the victim’s brother that he did everything he could to save Palencia’s life.

“From the bottom of my heart, I want to tell you that I’m sorry,” he said in Spanish. “I hope that you don’t have spite in your heart, and you can forgive this man.”

The victim’s daughter also made a statement during the sentencing.

“You didn’t just kill our dad. You killed a part of us,” said the daughter. “We will never be the same.”

On Thursday, Piedrahita’s tears did not persuade Milian to hand out a lesser sentence.

The victim’s brother said asking for forgiveness doesn’t solve the situation.

“Frankly, asking for the family for forgiveness doesn’t remedy the situation,” he said in Spanish.

The victim’s bother added, “All little children cry when they don’t get their way.”

Piedrahita now has 30 days to appeal this decision.

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