Timid Honor Student Son Stabs Mom Dead, Dad Blows Kisses in Court

The 13-year-old Derek Rosa is caught on the family's nanny cam, standing over his sleeping mother moments before the honor student stabs her to death. His newborn sister is sleeping in a crib steps away. 

Derek Rosa is not your typical 13-year-old boy: He is on the honor roll with neighbors saying he is exceedingly nice and the model son.

Irena Garcia, 39, just gave birth to a baby girl. So it was shocking when the teen called 911, telling the dispatcher that he snuck into the room where his mom and the baby were sleeping and stabbed his mother dead. 

As the operator talks to Rosa, he tells her he took pictures of the murder and sent them to a "friend." He also says he then deleted the photos. When pressed for the friend's name, Rosa says it is just somebody he knows online. During his call with 911, Rosa said he had a gun he planned to use to kill himself but decided not to.  

Derek Rosa was taken into custody and transported to a juvenile detention center. He was then moved to Jackson Memorial Hospital after he threatened to harm himself.

Rosa was initially charged with second-degree murder, but a Miami-Dade grand jury found enough probable cause to indict the teen as an adult and up the charge to first-degree murder.

Rosa's defense attorney has put motions in front of the judge to move this case back to juvenile court. 

Joining Nancy Grace today:

• Jason Oshins - Criminal & Civil Attorney 
• Dr. James Garbarino – Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Cornell University and Loyola University Chicago (specialized in studying what causes violence in children); Author of, “Listening to Killers: Lessons Learned from My 20 Years as a Psychological Expert Witness in Murder Cases”
• Master Sergeant Ron Livingston - Sergeant at Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (30+ years in law enforcement)
• Dr. Tim Gallagher - Medical Examiner State of Florida; Lecturer: University of Florida Medical School Forensic Medicine; Founder/Host: International Forensic Medicine Death Investigation Conference
• Caitlyn Becker - Senior Reporter for Dailymail.com; Twitter: @caitlynbecker 

 

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