Jury recommends death for Miami man who killed wife and stepdaughters

A Miami jury has recommended that a 42-year-old man be sentenced to death for the murders of his estranged wife and her two young daughters, according to reports from NBC Miami and CBS Miami. The man, Alberto Sierra, pleaded guilty in August to three counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed burglary, and abuse of a human body, court records show.

The killings occurred in 2012 during a separation dispute. Prosecutors said Sierra abducted Gladys Machado, 29, and her daughters Julia, 6, and Daniela, 3, from a mall, took them to an apartment, and killed them. Authorities discovered the bodies in a closet after a neighbor reported a foul smell.

Prosecutors stated that Sierra tortured Machado in front of the girls before suffocating all three with a plastic grocery bag. They also accused him of sexually abusing the bodies of Machado and Julia after their deaths. The jury voted 11-1 in favor of death for Machado's murder, unanimously for Julia's killing, and 8-4 for Daniela’s homicide.

Defense attorneys asked the jury to spare Sierra’s life, citing evidence of a brain injury, diabetes, and cognitive problems. Sierra’s mother testified but did not excuse the killings. The jury's recommendation came nearly 14 years after the murders.

Under Florida law, the jury's recommendation is not binding. The judge will make the final sentencing decision on November 2 at 10 a.m., according to court records.