Eight years after the brutal rape and murder of 30-year-old Yaimi Guevara Machado at a Hialeah motel, Ronald Lopez Andrade was found guilty by a Miami-Dade jury. Despite not all jurors agreeing that the crime was heinous, atrocious, or cruel, they still recommended the death penalty in an 8-4 vote. The jury also found that the murder was committed during a sexual battery.
According to reports, Machado was accidentally locked out of her room at the Chesapeake Motel while not fully dressed. Lopez Andrade, who had arrived at the motel in the early hours of the morning, became enraged when Machado refused his advances and a struggle ensued. Prosecutors claimed that Lopez Andrade raped and then strangled Machado to death.
The tragic incident deeply affected Machado’s family, leading to a $12 million settlement against the motel for negligence in preventing her death. The lawsuit alleged that motel staff had sold alcohol to Lopez Andrade, attempted to help him find a prostitute, and allowed him to stay on the property despite not being a guest.
Lopez Andrade will face another hearing later this year where the judge will determine his sentencing. This case marks the second time this year that a Miami-Dade jury has recommended the death penalty, with Ysrael Granda also awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of ordering the killing of his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend.
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