Man convicted of killing wife; posted Facebook photo of body

Derek Medina is accused of shooting his wife, Jennifer Alonso, in August 2013. “Far, far too often this kind of domestic violence leads to injury and death”. That would have required a finding of premeditation on his part.

Medina told police in a videotaped statement he shot 27-year-old Jennifer Alfonso after years of abuse and during an argument in which she assaulted him with a knife. Prosecutors say Medina killed Alfonso because she threatened to leave him. Her husband, who is 6 feet tall and heavier, had claimed he was the one being attacked.

As much as I wanted to denounce his heinous crime, I resisted the temptation when he murdered his wife two summers ago and announced it to the world, posting the picture of her bullet-riddled body on Facebook.

Assistant State Attorney Leah Klein said in an opening statement Tuesday that Medina shot Alfonso eight times during an argument in their home.

Medina had admitted to police that he was arguing with his wife in the kitchen before going upstairs to fetch his pistol and returning to confront her again.

“He said there was years of abuse and he wasn’t going to take it anymore”. He claims self defense.

“The fact that he shot her so many times in response to her allegedly punching him is a clear indication that he was not acting in self-defense”, Miami-Dade prosecutor Matthew Baldwin said. They also pointed out that at 6 feet and about 200 pounds, Medina could have easily overpowered his 5-foot-6 wife without shooting her. He said such evidence shows Alfonso was the aggressor that morning.

Derek Medina and Jennifer Alfonso are seen in a photo posted on Facebook.

“Im going to prison or death sentence for killing my wife love you guys miss you guys takecare Facebook people you will see me in the news”, he purportedly wrote.

It was what the defense wasn’t able to present during the trial that Medina’s attorney said might have made a difference in the outcome.