A handyman from Florida has received a second death sentence for his role in the murder of a woman whose ATM card he used to gamble at a tribal casino.
On Friday, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Nushin Sayfie reinstated the death penalty for Rafael Andres, now 61, for the murder of Yvette Farinas, a waitress at La Carreta restaurant located near Miami International Airport, committed back in 2005.
The original death sentence was overturned in 2018 by the Florida Supreme Court, which deemed that modifications in the state’s death penalty laws necessitated a new sentencing trial, although it confirmed Andres’ murder conviction.
Details of the Violent Crime
As per the prosecutors, Farinas had employed Andres for repairs at her residence, trusting him enough to provide a spare key.
On August 6, 2005, Andres took advantage of that key to enter her home while she was alone.
Prosecutors alleged that he assaulted the 41-year-old waitress repeatedly until she disclosed the PIN for her ATM card. Afterward, he stabbed her multiple times and strangled her with an electrical cord from a rice cooker.
To hide his actions, Andres reportedly attempted to incinerate the house before fleeing in his van.
A Lavish Spending Spree
Following the murder, prosecutors stated that he utilized Farinas’ debit card to fund an extravagant spending spree. Court documents indicate that Andres made cash withdrawals from ATMs, purchased items at Home Depot, and checked into the Miccosukee Resort & Casino to gamble.
The prosecution claimed he expended over $1,600 using the victim’s bank card before deserting his van in rural Miami-Dade County in a bid to evade law enforcement.
Detectives tracked his movements using ATM surveillance footage, banking transactions, and cellphone records.
Furthermore, DNA evidence linked Andres to a blood-stained dishcloth found at the victim’s residence, and forensic tests indicated gasoline residue on his shoes, suggesting involvement in a fire deemed to be intentionally set by investigators.
Andres was apprehended and charged in January 2006.
History of Violence
A jury in Miami-Dade found Andres guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery, burglary, arson, and grand theft in late 2014 and recommended the death penalty.
The Florida Supreme Court upheld those convictions in 2018 but annulled the death sentence. This decision was prompted by new regulations regarding capital sentencing laws in Florida, which shifted the responsibility of making crucial factual findings that support a death sentence from judges to juries.
The case returned to court for a new penalty phase, where another jury once more advised a death sentence.
During sentencing, the judge highlighted Andres’ previous homicide conviction as an aggravating circumstance. He was convicted in 1988 for fatally stabbing Linda Azcarreta, who was a friend of his spouse, and served approximately 18 months in prison for that crime.
Judge Sayfie formally reinstated the death sentence on Friday, returning Andres to Florida’s death row, more than 20 years after the murder of Farinas.