The penalty phase starts Wednesday in the murder trial of Florida man Luis Toledo. Jurors found him guilty Friday in the second-degree murder of his wife Yessenia Suarez, and the first-degree murders of her 8-year-old son Michael Otto, and her 9-year-old daughter Thalia Otto. He was also convicted for tampering with physical evidence because he successfully hid the bodies.
Jurors have two choices: send him to prison for life without parole, or send him to be executed. He already asked for the latter. After Friday’s verdict, he told the judge that he wanted death. Whether that’s just a temporary outburst remains to be seen.
Investigators said he attempted suicide during their original probe by breaking a bathroom mirror and cutting himself.
Prosecutors proved Toledo killed Suarez at their home early Oct. 23, 2013 over her affair with a male coworker, then he murdered the children to eliminate witnesses. In interview footage, he told authorities he killed Yessenia by chopping her in the neck after she attacked him, but he blamed a neighbor for murdering the Otto siblings. Clearly, jurors did not believe this story.
The bodies have never been found.
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