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Dear Friend,
During the month of May we observe National Mental Health Awareness Month focusing our attention on issues of mental health and the impact it has on individuals, our community, and our society. For decades struggles with mental illness were seen as a sign of weakness and not discussed publicly. Those experiencing mental health issues were forced to suffer alone in the shadows. But over the years, thanks to national campaigns involving individuals who bravely share their journeys, we see their strength and hope.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), people with mental illness are overrepresented in our nation’s jails and prisons.
I have long believed that therapeutic justice enhances community safety offenders with the necessary treatment and services to allow them to be productive members of our community. That is why I am proud to continue our innovative approach to Smart Justice approach to criminal cases dealing with mental health issues through various treatment courts and diversion efforts. We have created partnerships with our criminal justice and service providers to fit the specific needs and challenges faced by our community and implemented a number of interventions.
We have various diversion programs for those who suffer from mental health issues and are accused of minor crimes, by redirecting them from jail into treatment within hours of the arrest. Our specialized courts for low level non-violent crimes include mental health court for misdemeanors and non-violent felony offenses; drug court (which has become a national model); and a veteran’s track to address the specific needs of those who have served in our armed forces.
Research shows that programs like ours reduce recidivism and cost much less than incarceration. We work with our law enforcement partners and treatment providers to synergistically to stop the repetitive cycle of arrest, incarceration, release, and re-arrest by providing individuals the opportunity to remain stable, safe, and cared for. For more information about mental health programs in our community please visit thrivingmind.org or call the Thriving Mind Hotline at 1-888-248-3111. For more information about our approach and programs, please visit https://miamisao.com/about/articles-and-publications/.
Thank you, be safe, and God bless, |
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| During the month of May, we observe National Police Week we remember and honor the brave men and women in law enforcement who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Miami-Dade County is served by more than 30 dedicated law enforcement agencies, and we pause to recognize their commitment to protecting our community. |
| State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle attended the 44th Miami-Dade Annual Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Ceremony, where she was honored to participate in the tradition of receiving the folded American flag. This ritual, typically reserved for the families of fallen officers, serves as a powerful symbol of respect and remembrance. |
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| State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle was honored at the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's 31st Annual Installation Luncheon at the Biltmore Hotel with the prestigious Golden Eagle Award for her contributions to public safety and commitment to public service. |
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| “I am deeply honored to be the 2025 recipient of the Golden Eagle Award, and I appreciate the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for this meaningful recognition. The SFLHCC brings together some of the most impactful Hispanic business leaders. These individuals have helped build successful minority-owned businesses and made our community a destination for those striving to make a mark on the business world. I not only applaud the work of SFLHCC but also their bold vision to shape our shared future. Just as the SFLHCC works to strengthen our economic and civic life, my office remains focused on making our neighborhoods safer and more equitable. This award reflects the dedication of my lawyers, whose hard work continues to drive our mission of public safety and service,” said State Attorney Fernandez Rundle. |
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| To date, the State Attorney’s Office has proudly welcomed 150 interns into our SAO Internship Program for the summer. This program is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the criminal justice system. Interns are carefully selected and assigned to divisions throughout our office ensuring they gain meaningful, hands-on experience. |
| Throughout the summer, interns will have the opportunity to participate in a presentation series that offers insight into our Smart Justice Approach to prosecution, specialized units within our office, and the prosecutor's role in administering justice. Additionally, they will be permitted to engage in field visits to the Pretrial Detention Center, the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office, the Miami Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center, and more. |
| “Today’s interns are tomorrow’s legal leaders. It is essential that the next generation of legal professionals not only learn the law but also understand the complexity of the criminal justice system. By exposing our interns to the day-to-day operations of our office and its role in facilitating justice, we can help to spark passion and understanding, better preparing them for their future,” says State Attorney Fernandez Rundle. |
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| State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle thanks all who attended the “Second Chance” Seal or Expunge Event held at Milander Center for Arts & Entertainment. The State Attorney’s Office assisted 80 individuals, with 52 eligible to seal or expunge one arrest in Miami-Dade County. |
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Lourdes Roberts, Assistant State Attorney This month, we highlight a distinguished member of our SAO family. We present our SAO Profile in Passion ASA Lourdes Roberts. |
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| Lourdes Roberts always knew that she wanted to be a lawyer and follow in the professional footsteps of her “abuelo” who practiced law in Camaguey, Cuba. What she couldn’t imagine is that her professional journey would lead her to become a respected prosecutor specializing in Mental Health in the criminal justice system. |
| Born in Havana, Cuba to a homemaker mother and a father that worked in a radio station, Lourdes had an idyllic childhood until the communist revolution and subsequent regime forced her family, like many others, to seek refuge and asylum outside of their beloved homeland. |
| When she was five years old, Lourdes along with her older sister and parents fled to Mexico where they stayed for four months before coming to the United States and settling in Miami. |
| Her mother, who had never worked outside the home, became a manicurist. And her father, left behind his radio days for a career as a carpenter in their adopted country. “They sacrificed everything for us. They made sure that we had the best education and all the opportunities possible.” states Lourdes. |
| “I always wanted to be a lawyer. I grew up watching ‘Perry Mason’ and I loved it,” she recalls fondly. “My mom used to call me ‘leguleya’ (the legal one) because I always questioned everything.” |
| Lourdes attended Notre Dame Academy for Girls. “I went to Miami-Dade Community College (now MDC) which was a two-year institution (freshman and sophomore) where I earned my Associate’s Degree. Then I went to Florida International University where I majored in English but then switch to Psychology.” |
| She then went on to the University of Miami School of Law where she earned her Juris Doctor. “I always knew that I wanted to be a prosecutor, but I became fascinated with prosecution after taking a substantive criminal law class with Samuel Dash.” He was chief counsel for the Senate Watergate Committee and became famous for his televised interrogations during the hearings held by the United States Congress |
| “The last year of law school I was a CLI and actually interned with an attorney who wrote me a letter of recommendation for the State Attorney’s Office and Janet Reno hired me. I later found that same attorney working in Felony Screening Unit at SAO.” |
| Lourdes has many memories of her first years at the office including being taught how to introduce a gun into evidence by the legendary prosecutor David Gilbert and of carrying seven boxes of case files to court as a C level prosecutor. |
| In 1988 when Lourdes was still a C prosecutor, her then-husband was studying medicine and got matched to Baylor University Medical in Texas. So, she unfortunately had to leave SAO but continued being a prosecutor in Houston and later Dallas after passing the Texas Bar exam. “It was different because there is no discovery in criminal cases, so I had to get used to that.” |
| Lourdes and her family returned to Florida in 1997. By that time, she already had one child and another on the way. After the second was born she stayed home for a couple of years, but she felt that she needed to get back to her passion which is practicing law. |
| Since she was living in Fort Lauderdale, she applied to Broward SAO and became a prosecutor there. “When I started in County Court part of calendar was DUI with an 11am calendar for mental health. I ended up dealing with the Diversion program cases and then became the back-up for Baker Act cases. I saw the need to replicate what the District Attorneys in Texas had which was a full time dedicated Mental Health prosecutor. I proposed this to then Broward State Attorney Mike Satz and in 2000, I was designated as the first ASA in Broward to work on mental health diversion matters full time. I also handled the Jimmy Ryce cases (Involuntary Civil Commitment of Sexually Violent Predators).” |
| In 2001, Lourdes moved back to Miami with her children, “I worked at the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) for a year and then at the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in Children’s Legal Services for two years where I litigated child welfare cases that were replete with MH and substance abuse issues. At the time my kids were seven and three years old. The child abuse cases that I handled were impacting me in a very emotional way.” |
| “Then in 2004 I heard that Miami SAO was looking for an attorney to handle the Baker Acts. I applied and was hired. In addition to those cases I started to transition to Felonies and handled misdemeanor and felony mental health diversion. I also handled Marchman Act cases for probate court to help guide families.” |
| Lourdes credits State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle for being a trailblazer in regard to therapeutic courts and how Miami Smart Justice handles the intersection of criminal justice and mental illness. “The State Attorney has put together a great team. She is incredibly supportive of our Mental Health Division and always sensitive to the needs and safety of our community. A part of her legacy will always be the creation of the first Drug Court which is now a national model. She understands that a person is made up of pieces. Kathy is about prevention rather than punishment when appropriate. She is proactive in seeking how treatment and intervention can end the vicious cycle of recidivism.” |
| Very few people, and very few lawyers, truly understand the many complexities that can arise when criminal law, mental illness and psychiatry all meet within the confines of a courtroom.” said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. “Lourdes’ great strength is that she merges the delicate art of the therapist with her deep knowledge of mental health law to help our prosecutors find the proper balance as we try to deal with one of the most complex problems facing our country today, mental illness. Her efforts have played an essential role in the acclaim our therapeutic courts have garnered.” |
| In her capacity as an ASA in the Mental Health Division, Lourdes deals with various diversion programs including Felony Diversion and those in Veterans Court and Drug Court dealing with defendants that have Mental Health and/or substance abuse issues. She has also appeared before the Grand Jury offering her expert testimony in a variety of subjects dealing with Mental Health Issues and the law. |
| “Some of the people that come into the criminal justice system have serious mental health illness. We look at what they did and have to see if, for example, they broke into that house because they genuinely think that they live there. Many times, we are the last stop for these families that are desperate for help.” |
| “Every day we walk a tightrope and have to balance what is appropriate in each case and the safety of the community. We have to see what services we can offer, what they did, and their criminal history, as well as, if there is an underlying problem. We along with our criminal justice partners have become very good at assessing risk and determining what is most beneficial not only for the client (defendant) but also for the safety of the community.” |
| Lourdes and her colleagues put their heart and soul into their work and are invested in the success of the clients. “We are a comprehensive one stop shop. We can connect you with needed services through a great deal of vetting and evaluation. We’ve done such a good job. We help families and counsel them and we are sometimes their last resort.” |
| Though this specialized unit changes lives it can take a toll on the SAO members mental health as well. Lourdes balances her free time with family and friends and traveling. But there is one main thing that keeps her centered and focused, “My faith keeps me here at SAO. I keep thinking that I am here to make someone’s life better.” |
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| The Victim was just 39 years old when her life was violently taken. On May 5, 2022, her body was discovered floating in a canal in Opa-Locka, wrapped in a bed skirt — a chilling attempt to cover up a brutal crime. Her body was found long after her murder in a state of decomposition that left her unrecognizable. Due to the level of decomposition and the lack of obvious signs of trauma, her death was classified as a homicide by “unspecified means.” In his 20+ years as a medical examiner, Dr. Hutchins said it was the first and only time in his career that he classified a homicide as having been committed by “unspecified means.” |
| The Defendant thought he could silence the Victim by dumping her body in a canal, but the bed skirt he wrapped her in told the truth. It was the blue-trimmed fabric from their bedroom that linked the Defendant directly to the murder. The connection was made because of a single photo found on the Defendant's iCloud account, where the same, blue-trimmed bed skirt can be seen in the background. |
| The case was purely circumstantial. Cellphone records, cooperative witnesses, and persuading uncooperative witnesses to testify helped the investigators reconstruct the relationship and timeline, which painted a devastating picture of domestic violence and ultimately, murder. |
| The State called 18 witnesses, including one who initially refused to take the stand on the day of trial, used previously perpetuated testimony from a witness who was unavailable for trial, entered 47 exhibits, and successfully entered Williams Rule evidence of a previous domestic attack on the Victim by the Defendant. Although the Defendant made no statements to the police, he did make statements detailing the murder to a cellmate whom the State called to testify at trial. The Defendant was found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. |
| The Victim’s family waited more than a year for an arrest and much longer for a verdict. This result would not have been possible without the incredible work and dedication of DC Ashley Ramkishun, whose leadership and preparation throughout the case were exceptional. The prosecutors committed themselves fully to seeking justice for the Victim, and their teamwork, diligence, and skill resulted in holding her killer accountable. |
| The ASAs would like to thank Trial Coordinator Melisa Avila, the Litigation Support team, and Homicide Counselor Isis Ferreiro. They would also like to thank Felony Division Chief Jonathan Borst, Gangs Unit ASA Ruben Scolavino, Assistant Chief of Career Criminal/Robbery Kioceaia Stenson, and Chief Assistant Kathleen Hoague. |
| On Thursday, June 12, 2014, a mother and son were asleep at home in their quiet townhome community in the Hammocks District. Meanwhile, just a short five-minute drive away, the Defendant was at his home where he packed a Glock 10 mm handgun and multiple fully loaded magazines in a backpack. The Defendant also armed himself with his AK-74 rifle and multiple fully loaded, 30-round capacity magazines. The Defendant then took the keys to his parents’ white Toyota Camry and drove to the Victims’ home. He got out of the car and tried to enter the home through the front door by emptying a full magazine at the lock with his AK-74. When that didn’t work, he walked around the side of the house, shot open the latch of the gate, and emptied an additional magazine at the sliding glass patio door. He finished off the sliding glass door with his hand and entered the home. |
| When the mother came down the stairs to see what was going on, the Defendant fired multiple rounds at her, killing her on the landing. The Defendant stepped over her lifeless body, getting her blood on his pants in the process, and continued up the stairs to find her son. The Defendant then fired multiple rounds at his head, causing what Medical Examiner Dr. Mathis described as a “catastrophic injury” to the brain. The Defendant fled the residence the same way he entered. |
| At the time of the shooting, Hammocks District MDPD detectives were working an unrelated case nearby when they heard the gunshots. When they went to investigate, they saw the Defendant exiting the townhome community in his parents’ White Toyota Camry with his headlights off. As the officers initiated a traffic stop and took the Defendant into custody, they observed a still-hot and smoking AK-74 rifle in the driver’s seat. |
| The Defendant was transported to MDPD headquarters, where, post-Miranda, he gave Homicide Detectives a detailed account of what he had just done. He explained how he and the male Victim used to be friends from school, how he had told him about his sexual fantasies about a female classmate, and how he believed that the Victim told her about those fantasies. The Defendant claimed that he saw several movies and TV shows, which gave him hints that he needed to kill the Victim because he told their female classmate about his sexual fantasies. |
| Eighty-one spent casings from the crime scene matched the AK-74 rifle recovered from the Defendant’s vehicle, according to Firearm and Toolmark Identification expert John Mancini. DNA from the blood on the Defendant’s pants matched the DNA standard taken from the mother, according to a Forensic Biology expert. |
| The case took almost eleven years to get to trial because the Defendant sought an insanity defense. Ultimately, the Defendant chose not to pursue the insanity defense and unsuccessfully argued to the jury that he should be convicted of lesser included offenses. |
| The ASAs would like to thank Homicide Counselors Andrea Marquez and Kelly Usher-Villazan, Trial Coordinator Bryan Bulgado, Litigation Support, and ASA Lily Wisset. Finally, the ASAs would like to thank Deputy Chief Assistant Nilo Cuervo and Chief Assistant State Attorney Kathleen Hoague. |
| The Defendant was dating a woman with whom he shared a child. The couple had numerous problems, particularly when the Victim and the Defendant were together at the Defendant’s girlfriend’s house. On the day of the murder, the Defendant showed up at his girlfriend’s house and saw the Victim for the first time in several months. |
| Initially, things were cordial, and the Victim offered to smoke drugs with the Defendant. As the night progressed, however, things got more tense. The Victim began acting erratically, which upset the Defendant’s girlfriend. The Defendant, who was armed, told his girlfriend he would make the Victim leave. He convinced the Victim to leave with him so they could go buy more drugs. As the two walked down NW 19th Avenue, the Defendant took a step behind the Victim, who continued walking ahead. The Defendant shot the Victim once in the back of the head, then took off running. Thankfully, Ring cameras captured the shooting and the moments leading up to it. |
| The Defendant fully confessed to the shooting to police, but he insisted that he acted in self-defense. His claim was based on a phone call he overheard where the Victim told someone to “bring the hammers,” a street term for weapons or handguns. The ASAs were able to overcome this claim by convincing the jury that a head shot to the back of the skull shows a lack of an imminent threat, and explaining all the reasons the Defendant was upset with the Victim leading up to the murder. |
| The ASAs would like to thank Marilyn Fiallos and Idalma Gurruchaga for their excellent care of the next of kin. Also critical to the victory was Trial Coordinator Riise LaFranque. |
| Congratulations to ASAs Jeremy Martin and Kyle March for securing a guilty verdict of one count of Second-Degree Arson and one count of misdemeanor Criminal Mischief. |
| The Defendant had been harassing the Victim for years, making over 40 false complaints to the Department of Children and Families and a false complaint to the Defendant’s workplace. The harassment culminated when, on August 2, 2019, the Defendant broke the window of the Victim’s vehicle, which was parked in front of the Victim’s childhood home and threw an incendiary device into the backseat. |
| These events were captured on video by a surveillance camera. The Victim’s elderly mother was home and saw the Defendant dressed in a large raincoat and a pink backpack. The Victim’s mother ran outside barefoot in her pajamas to chase down the arsonist. Once the Defendant was cornered in an alleyway, the Victim’s mother was able to see the Defendant’s face before she ran away. |
| The Defendant returned to their residence 2 days later while the Victim and her husband were home. They chased the Defendant and prevented her from leaving until the police arrived. A search of the Defendant’s bag revealed a large raincoat and a pink bag that matched the clothing the arsonist was seen wearing on the surveillance footage. |
| This was a challenging case because it occurred several years ago, and the arresting officers, who were not involved in the initial arson investigation, could not recall the arrest or the search of the bag. The State was able to authenticate and admit into evidence body-worn camera footage that showed the officers at the scene with the officer who claimed he couldn’t recall that night. This allowed the State to play the video, proving the pink bag and raincoat belonged to the Defendant. |
| During the State’s rebuttal closing argument, the prosecution emphasized a key piece of evidence that was not addressed by the defense in their 90-minute closing. The State showed the jury that the Defendant was wearing the same distinctive, cheetah-print shoes on both the day of the arson and the night of her arrest. |
| The ASAs would like to thank their division staff, Litigation Support, and “A” prosecutor Kelsey Shelton for helping to make this victory possible. |
| On July 15, 2023, the Victim, a security guard working at an apartment complex, was making his rounds when he heard noises coming from closed and under-construction maintenance offices. The padlock was missing, and the door was ajar. He called the condo association president and waited 15 minutes for him to arrive before they entered the maintenance offices together. They entered a room that contained cash kiosks that residents use to load funds on cards to use for the laundry machines. The Victim saw that the kiosks were smashed open. A hammer and a pair of flip-flops were on the floor beside them. When he turned on the lights, he saw the barefoot Defendant crouched in the corner, trying to hide in the dark. He told the Defendant to stay calm and not to move. When the condo association president started calling 911, the Defendant pushed the Victim and attempted to get away. The Victim attempted to restrain him. |
| The struggle turned into a fight, and the Defendant pushed, punched, and bit the Victim. When the Defendant got the upper hand and was straddling the Victim, he tried to drop a still-to-be-installed toilet onto the Victim’s head. The jury was shown photos of the shattered toilet that broke near the Victim’s head. The jurors listened to the 911 call and heard the struggle in the background as the condo association president described what he was seeing. The jurors also heard that the Defendant admitted to the police, after being given his Miranda rights, that the flip-flops found in the kiosk room were his. |
| The Defendant testified that he was invited to the apartment complex by his friend “Tony,” whose last name he did not know. He said he was dipping his feet in the pool next to the maintenance offices with his flip flops beside him when suddenly, the Victim came up and started dragging him away from the pool area. He told jurors he never went inside the maintenance area and had no idea how his flip-flops ended up there. |
| In response, the State quickly downloaded copies of an officer’s body-worn camera (BWC) with sound onto USBs. Previously, it had been admitted without sound. ASA Singer cross-examined the Defendant on his statement to the first responding officer in which he stated that the Victim had “ripped the flip flops off his feet.” |
| He denied making that statement but was impeached with the BWC with sound. He then said he was agitated when he made that statement because of the fight that had just occurred, but an hour and thirty minutes later he told police the same story he was telling at trial. However, the Defendant admitted that after having 90 minutes to reflect, he had changed his story. Although the defense argued that no one saw the Defendant with the hammer in his hand and that the Victim was only testifying to get a U-Visa, the jury found the Defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. |
| The ASAs would like to thank Victim-Witness Coordinator Laura Gregoire and Miro Norman in the Fiscal Unit for staying late and making sure the Victim made it from out of town in time to testify. Special thanks to ASA Michael Fente for his last-minute assistance with the BWC. |
| The Defendant harassed the Victim for a month. His behavior escalated from driving past her house and throwing dead flowers, to standing and shouting outside of her house, to throwing rocks into her home and car. These events were witnessed at several points by the Victim herself as well as by her young grandchildren and captured by cameras outside of the Victim’s home. |
| This was a challenging case because the Defendant was self-represented and struggled to follow the rules of evidence and the trial procedures. Throughout the trial, the Defendant pleaded with the jury to please not convict him, argued that he and a friend had analyzed the video evidence and determined that it was not him, and made multiple inappropriate comments to the jury in Spanish. Ultimately, the jury found him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. |
| The ASAs would like to thank Victim/Witness Coordinator Ana Nikolic and Division Secretary Chase Brown for helping to make this outcome possible, as well as the Litigation Support team for quickly providing a demonstrative for the closing argument. |
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