Rare 2-defendant trial begins for 2012 Miami Lakes love triangle murder

After more than a decade, a trial began Monday for two friends who are facing murder charges for allegedly planning and executing the murder of a man in Miami Lakes.

If Ysrael Granda and Jonathan Rico are found guilty in the murder of 42-year-old Jose Soto in 2012, the pair could be sentenced to death.

“He shot through the wrist, through the watch and while he’s running, he was shot in the back and through the neck,” said Assistant State Attorney Shawn Abuhoff, describing how Rico allegedly fatally shot Soto inside a hotel room in Miami Lakes. Police believe he snuck in through the room window.

Prosecutors described this case as a love triangle because Soto was the new boyfriend of Lisania Quintero, who is Granda's ex.

Granda tried several times to get rid of Soto. A few weeks before the murder, records show he fired six rounds through a windshield about 8-10 feet away from Soto in Broward County.

On Monday, jurors heard the 911 call Soto made after that shooting.

“The person who shot you, do you know this person?” asked dispatch.

“Yes. It’s my girl's ex-boyfriend,” Soto responded.

The victim survived and planned to testify against Granda after he was charged with attempting to kill him. This was the motive for the murder, according to prosecutors.

Police say this time Granda succeeded in his mission to kill when he ordered his friend Rico to do the job from jail. Granda also got help from his brother — Wilber Granda — and Quintero.

Quintero dodged the death penalty and pleaded guilty in exchange for her testimony in her ex’s trial. She was sentenced to 13 years in prison in which she has done 11 already.

Granda’s brother Wilber also pleaded guilty and plans to testify against his sibling. He accepted a 10-month probation plea deal.

“Two flippers and a flashlight,” said defense attorneys while downplaying the state’s case.

Defense attorneys say there is not enough evidence to convict Granda and Rico for Soto’s murder.

Prosecutors say Rico’s DNA was found inside hotel room 123 on the flashlight.

On top of the murder case, records show Granda has several open cases in Miami-Dade, including battery, burglary, and kidnapping.

In 2021, records show Granda attempted to escape. Granda was at Jackson Memorial Hospital getting treatment for forcing a cell phone into his rectum. After receiving medication, he went to the bathroom and tried escaping through the ceiling.

In 2016, a South Florida attorney was accused of having sex with Granda in a jail interview room.

The co-defendant trial continues on Wednesday.