In a chilling turn of events, a 13-year-old boy accused of brutally murdering his mother while she slept beside her newborn has been captured in bodycam footage, showing him eerily calm during his arrest.
The teen, Derek Rosa, who is now 14, is facing trial for first-degree murder after allegedly confessing to stabbing his 39-year-old mother, Irina García, more than 40 times with a kitchen knife in October 2023.
The murder took place in the family’s Hialeah, Florida home, where García’s infant child, only 14 days old, was found unharmed next to her mother’s lifeless body.
The Arrest
Bodycam footage recently released by NBC6 captured the tense moment when police stormed the home to arrest Rosa.
The officers can be heard shouting commands at Rosa, who appeared unruffled as he was taken into custody while still wearing his pajamas.
“Hands up! Hands up, come here, get on the ground!” one officer yells as Rosa steps out.
The teen is quickly subdued and placed in handcuffs.
In a strange twist, Rosa calmly mentions, “There’s a knife in my room,” and also tells the officer, “There’s a baby.”
Concerned for the infant’s safety, the officer urgently questions, “How’s the baby? Did you do anything to the f***ing baby?” Rosa responds, assuring that the baby was left untouched.
Once police entered García’s room, they discovered her body lying next to the crib where her newborn was.
No clear motive has emerged, and Rosa’s defense team is considering an insanity plea.
Family’s Shock and Statements
As more footage emerged, Rosa’s grandmother spoke to an officer in Spanish, expressing disbelief over the situation.
“I’ve never seen him with any mental problems or anything like that,” she said.
“He’s a normal kid, intelligent. I don’t know what happened… all I know is I don’t have a daughter anymore.”
Despite her shock, Rosa’s grandmother couldn’t offer any explanation for what might have driven him to commit such a horrific act.
Confession and Evidence
In a separate interrogation, Rosa appeared to confirm the details of the crime.
When asked if his mother was asleep when he attacked, he replied, “Yeah, she was sleeping.”
The footage also showed the teen describing where he had stabbed his mother, pointing to his neck and showing investigators his bloody hands.
Rosa allegedly admitted to detectives, “I woke up, I grabbed one of the kitchen knives and I went to her room… I killed her.”
This chilling confession was played in court during a December pre-trial hearing, prompting Judge Richard Hersch to order that Rosa be held in an adult jail as he awaited trial.
Disturbing Actions After the Murder
In more haunting details, baby-cam footage revealed Rosa standing over his mother’s bed moments before the attack.
The footage, captured around 11 pm, shows the teen looming over his mother, and it was just 30 minutes later that he made a 911 call to report the murder.
Even more unsettling was Rosa’s behavior after the killing.
Police say that he sent a smiling selfie to a friend, appearing to stick out his tongue, with what seemed to be blood smeared on his hands.
When questioned about the picture, Rosa allegedly asked a dispatcher, “Is this bad?”
Further Shocking Revelations
Rosa’s disturbing actions didn’t end there.
After the murder, he reportedly found two guns owned by his stepfather and planned to take his own life.
However, he did not follow through with the plan.
Further investigation into his online activity revealed that Rosa had researched how to kill someone and whether a small knife could penetrate bone, suggesting premeditation.
A Trial as an Adult
Rosa’s family has been left in shock, describing him as a “good kid” and insisting that no one could have foreseen such a tragedy.
Despite his age, Rosa will be tried as an adult, and his requests to be transferred to a juvenile facility have been denied.
As the case moves forward, the community remains reeling from the disturbing details that continue to unfold.
What led to such a brutal crime, and what will happen next in Rosa’s trial? Only time will tell.