MIAMI (WSVN) — A South Florida man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of a retired Miami Police captain.
He received his sentence Friday. According to police, 33-year-old Rafael Toirac-Aguilera killed retired Miami Police Captain, Robert Yee, in 2009 at the Hurricane Cove Marina.
Sixty-one-year-old Yee, who served the City of Miami for 26 years, was working as a security guard at the marina when he was shot and killed in broad daylight.
Yee, a beloved father and grandfather, left behind a family who, according to his daughter, will continue to live their lives in his honor. His daughter Debbie Guzman is a police officer now and said her children will be following in their grandfather’s footsteps, as well. "We’ve waited for a long time for this," she said about the sentencing. "Not only did he brutally murder my father, but he’s caused so much pain for my family."
DNA recovered from an orange juice bottle on the scene linked Aguilera to the crime. According to the findings, the bottle was used as a gun silencer by Aguilera. "We judged him in man’s law, but he’s still got another judgment day coming to him," said Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes.
"As an officer, he’s helped many, many people, and now it’s our time to help him," said Guzman in 2009.
Investigators think Aguilera planned a "hit" on Yee because he might have had information on illegal activity at the marina where he worked. However, that does not matter anymore because Aguilera is going to spend the rest of his life in prison. "I have no sympathy for you, sir," said Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez. "The court is mandated to sentence you to a term of imprisonment for life."
Aguilera was found guilty of first-degree murder earlier this month.
While his sentencing brings Yee’s family a sigh of relief, their pain is still very much there. "Justice has been done," said his widowed wife, Maricel Yee. "We’re at peace."
In court, the widow read her deceased husband’s last words to her. "His last words, were as always, ‘Be careful out there, I’ll be home soon. I love you.’ That exemplary father is no longer here, and all we have are the memories."