ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A judge on Monday sentenced to death Bessman Okafor, who was convicted in the murder of Alex Zaldivar.
A jury earlier this year voted 9-3 in favor of the death penalty recommendations after a little over three hours of deliberations during his resentencing trial.
Chief Judge Munyon sentenced Okafor to death. His defense attorney said he plans to appeal.
This is the second resentencing trial for Okafor, who was originally sentenced to death in 2015 for the murder of Zaldivar, 19, who was set testify against Okafor in a home invasion case.
After the Florida Supreme Court ruled that jury recommendations in a death sentence had to be unanimous in 2016, Okafor’s sentence was overturned. But a more conservative Supreme Court a few years later reversed that ruling, and Okafor had to be resentenced.
In November, a judge declared a mistrial in the first resentencing trial after a juror, Kayla De Pena, 26, told the court she discussed the case with a friend. She eventually told the judge that she lied about having any conversations about the trial, in the hopes of getting out of further jury service.
News 6 spoke to Zaldivar’s father, Rafael Zaldivar, who said the judicial system failed his son.
“I thought we were done with this 10 years ago, 12 years ago, but no,” Rafael said.
Ahead of the sentencing, Rafael Zaldivar said Okafor “put a life sentence on our entire family.”
“We have to live with this forever. I want him executed, I want him euthanized,” he said.
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