A Miami jury is determining whether Alberto Sierra should receive the death penalty or life imprisonment for the 2012 killings of his estranged wife, Gladys del Carmen Sierra, and her daughters, J.P. (6) and D.P. (4). First responders found the three bodies decomposing inside a closet on Nov. 13, 2012. Prosecutors allege Sierra asphyxiated and sexually assaulted the victims and have presented jail calls and testimony; the defense contends Sierra suffers from frontal-lobe brain damage and medical conditions that affected his behavior.
Florida Jury Weighs Death Penalty in 2012 Miami Killings of Wife and Two Young Daughters
Alberto Sierra sits in court on Sept. 30, 2026. (Court TV)
MIAMI — A Florida jury is deciding whether Alberto Sierra should be sentenced to death or spend the rest of his life in prison for the 2012 killings of his estranged wife and her two young daughters.
Alberto Sierra, 42, who appeared in court on Sept. 30, 2026, has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, burglary, kidnapping and abuse of a dead body in the deaths of his estranged wife, Gladys del Carmen Sierra, and two children identified in court records as J.P. (6) and D.P. (4). Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty and therefore presented a full case to the jury despite Sierra’s admission of guilt.
According to prosecutors and court documents reviewed by Court TV, an argument between Sierra and his estranged wife while they were shopping in November 2012 escalated when Sierra allegedly pulled a knife and abducted the three. He is accused of driving them back to a Miami residence the family had shared, locking the children in one bedroom and taking Gladys to the master bedroom.
Prosecutor Abbe Rifkin told the jury that Sierra used a plastic bag to asphyxiate Gladys and then sexually assaulted her body. Prosecutors also allege that he killed the two children with plastic bags and sexually assaulted the 6-year-old. Authorities say Sierra placed the three bodies inside a closet before leaving the home.
"There was a smell of decomposition, possibly bodies in the process of decomposition," paramedic Richard Ramos testified about entering the property on Nov. 13, 2012. Ramos said he opened a closet and discovered an adult female and two children.
Ramos testified the victims showed "obvious" signs of death, so he did not attempt resuscitation.
In opening statements, defense counsel acknowledged Sierra’s role in the killings but argued mitigating medical issues. The defense says Sierra suffers from severe frontal-lobe damage, is missing part of his frontal lobe, is prone to seizures and has diabetes—conditions they say impaired his behavior. The Miami Herald has reported on those medical claims.
Prosecutors have indicated they plan to play recorded jail calls in which the defendant discusses the incident with friends and family. The jury’s recommendation will determine whether Sierra faces execution or a life sentence without parole.
Note: Allegations of sexual assault and details of the deaths are based on prosecutors' statements and court records; Sierra has pleaded guilty but remains entitled to legal defenses and the presumption of mitigation during sentencing.
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