Derek Rosa stabbed his mother to death in their apartment, police said. (Screenshot: WPLG)
Police in Hialeah, Florida, say there was no indication of friction or mental health issues in a local family, and yet the 13-year-old son is accused of stabbing his own mother to death in her sleep near his 14-day-old half-sister.
Officers voiced hope that perhaps looking in his laptop might shed light on why Derek Rosa, 13, killed Irina Garcia, 39. He is charged as a minor, but police identified him because he faces a felony — murder in the second degree.
Police Lt. Eddie Rodriguez told Law&Crime that Rosa called 911 Thursday at 11:30 p.m.. The teenager allegedly told dispatch that he stabbed his mother to death.
Rosa was “so polite” even on the 911 call, Rodriguez said. Everything was “Yes, ma’am; no, ma’am,” he said.
Officers arrived at the apartment, where they arrested him and found Garcia’s body next to a crib, in which lay Rosa’s 14-day-old half-sister. The baby was physically unhurt, Rodriguez said.
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Mother, son, and daughter were the only people home as the stepfather, a truck driver, was out in northern Georgia at the time, police said. The Florida Department of Children and Families briefly took custody of the baby, but the maternal grandmother arrived and took care of her until the father could return, Rodriguez said.
All told, there’s currently no indication as to why Rosa allegedly murdered his mother. He did not explain why he killed her, police said.
The murder “left everybody dumbfounded,” Rodriguez said. He called it a “huge tragedy,” that left a Garcia’s mother without a daughter and Rosa’s biological father essentially without a son.
The lieutenant described Rosa as an 8th grader and honor roll student at iMater Charter Middle/High School. Friends and family described him as a “good kid” and a straight A student. The teenager had no history of mental health challenges; neither did his family. There were no fights, and he got along with both his stepfather and half-sister, Rodriguez said.
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