Florida reopens investigation into brutal Escobedo family murder after Biden’s sentence commutation
Florida authorities reopen the 2006 Escobedo family murder case after President Biden commuted the death sentences of the convicted killers.
Florida authorities have reopened the investigation into the brutal 2006 murder of the Escobedo family following President Joe Biden’s commutation of the death sentences for the convicted killers.
Richard Del Toro, St. Lucie's County Sheriff, and Thomas Bakkedahl, 19th Judicial Circuit State Attorney, announced last week they would be reopening the 2006 case.
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What happened to the Escobedo family?
On October 13, 2006, the bodies of Jose Luis Escobedo, 28; his wife, Yessica Guerrero Escobedo, 25; and their sons, Luis Julian, 4, and Luis Damian, 3; were found in Florida's Turnpike in Fort Pierce, after being brutally murdered.
The culprits, Daniel Troya and Ricardo Sanchez, were convicted in 2009. Authorities reported they were shot at close range and that the children died in their mother's arms.
Why the Escobedo family's case is reopened?
In December, when Joe Biden was still president, he commuted the death sentences of 37 inmates. Two of them were Troya and Sánchez, who had their sentences changed to life without parole.
This prompted Florida state authorities to reopen the case. Bakkedahl and Del Toro have talked about the consequences of having the death penalty no longer as an option.
"With the federal death penalty no longer in effect, we believe the pursuit of justice now rests with the State of Florida. My office is committed to ensuring that the sentence reflects the gravity of this crime," both said on a joint statement.
