MIAMI (WSVN) - The penalty phase wrapped up its second day for a man convicted of murdering a 10-year-old during a 2013 robbery at a nail salon in North Miami.
Prosecutors and legal counsel on Tuesday questioned witnesses, from the fire chief who responded that day to a forensic psychologist with knowledge of Ragan’s mental state.
“On the other measure I gave, which was the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test, he scored in a range that’s consistent with people who are malingering or faking mental health problems,” said Dr. Michael Brannon.
In another pivotal moment inside the courtroom, the victim’s mother had a letter read out loud where she conveyed the pain of having to live with the loss of her son for the last 12 years and hoped for justice for her son.
“Aaron was a child full of life and innocence. He was not just a name in this case; he was my son, the heart of our family and our future,” said the woman reading her letter. “No sentence can bring my son back, but I ask that the full weight of what was taken from my family be recognized and that the harm done to my child be met with appropriate accountability.”
Thirty-one-year-old Anthawn Ragan Jr. faces the death penalty after causing what prosecutors called indescribable destruction on a day that would change a family’s life forever.
Prosecutors said Ragan and another gunman entered the family’s nail salon, located on Northwest Seventh Avenue, and demanded cash.
A day earlier, the victim’s parents wept in the Miami courtroom as they recalled the day their 10-year-old son, Aaron, was shot to death during a robbery gone wrong at their nail salon in November 2013.
“I can’t explain to you much the pain,” said Aaron’s father, Hai Nam Vu. “We don’t celebrate any more holidays.”
Vu told prosecutors that when the money wasn’t enough or less than expected, he was struck in the head and then shot by Ragan.
While he survived, another bullet would tragically hit Aaron.
During Monday’s testimony, they listened in on the 911 calls from that day, a sound that was too triggering for some family members.
At one point on Monday, Aaron’s father bravely looked his son’s killer in the face and forgave him, saying that it’s what his son would’ve wanted.
Ragan had since pleaded guilty to the young boy’s murder.
As for Tuesday’s proceedings, prosecutors provided their closing arguments, arguing that accountability in this case is a death sentence.
“The impact that he’s had on this community with his prior violent felonies, what he did in this case, the death penalty is warranted under the statutory analysis,” said Assistant State Attorney Scott Warfman.
But Ragan’s defense attorney asked the judge to spare his life, pointing to his mental health and family struggles.
“For all of his misconduct, for all his dysfunctions throughout the course of his life, he has not displayed such a level of dangerousness that only a death sentence can address,” said Defense Attorney Tony Moss.
Ragan is already serving a life sentence for killing a different person in a separate incident back in 2013.
Now, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez is tasked with deciding between the death penalty and life in prison. She gave the attorneys a 30-day deadline to turn in the requested legal documents.
The court is set to reconvene on March 10, when the judge will set a date to issue her decision.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.