More than 11 years after a man and woman were tortured and murdered inside a Coral Gables office, the death penalty trial of the man who authorities believe is the killer began.
Jose Rojas is facing two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed kidnapping and one count of attempted armed robbery in the April 27, 2012 killings.
Rojas, who was 43 at the time of the killings and is now 55, has been held without bond since his arrest after the murders.
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Opening statements were delivered in the case Wednesday morning. Rojas' attorneys admitted he's responsible for the killings but claimed he was insane while doing it, and said he had a traumatic childhood that included being molested.
"He was suffering from acute depression and he went psychotic. And that’s the reason that this occurred," defense attorney Jimmy Dellafera said.
But prosecutors refute those claims and said the killings were planned by Rojas after he was caught stealing over $3,000 from one of the victims.
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"Part of a plan of theft. Nothing insane about it," prosecutor Abbe Rifkin said. "He takes a letter opener and he uses that to stab them with. A 78-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman who are duct-taped."
According to police, 59-year-old Frances C. Venezia and 78-year-old Robert A. James were killed inside Venezia's public adjusters business at 801 Monterrey Street.
The victims suffered from blunt trauma and were found with their hands and feet bound, their mouths covered with rags and multiple cuts, police said.
Police had responded to the address in response to a woman calling for help, but found Rojas on Southwest 8th Street with no shoes, carrying a bag and appearing suspicious, according to an arrest report.
Rojas fled when he saw police, but was detained a short time later covered in blood, authorities said.
Rojas was an employee of the business, and Venezia was reportedly his boss.
Once in custody, Rojas admitted to police that on his way to work, he stopped at a store and bought items that he would later use to torture his victims, the report said. When he arrived at the office, he placed a dark hood over his head, concealing his face, and slipped on a pair of gloves, the affidavit explained.
Rojas admitted to police he bound the victims with duct tape and forced Venezia to write him a check from her checking account, the arrest affidavit said.
He then struck the woman with a mop stick after she started screaming, the report said. Since Venezia would not stop yelling, the man also began to scream, Rojas told officials.
The report said Rojas didn't remember what happened next but remembers pools of blood in the office and on himself.
One of the first people to testify Wednesday was Venezia's daughter, Nicolina Venezia. She said her mother told her she was struggling financially and was having issues paying her employees.
Rojas is one of the longest jailed defendants in Miami-Dade County. His trial could be the first one in the county where Gov. Ron DeSantis' death penalty law will be honored.
Under the law, a unanimous vote is no longer needed to recommend death. Eight jurors out of 12 could recommend it.
