Women from across the country have traveled to South Florida to rally behind Derek Rosa, a teen accused of fatally stabbing his mother and sending a bloody selfie to friends, claiming the 14-year-old is "innocent" despite a confession, incriminating evidence, and his being charged as an adult with first-degree murder.
Police say Rosa stabbed his mother to death on Oct. 12, 2023, when he was 13. Among the evidence against Rosa is incriminating comments made during a 911 call, a confession to investigators on camera, and a bloody selfie he sent friends after the murder, according to police.
"We are not related, I read this case on social media and I got really really touched about the case of Derek Rosa and what happened to his mom," Ariana Reyes told NBC-6. Ariana traveled from Chicago to support Derek Rosa. "We want the real person who committed this passion crime to be charged fully. Derek Rosa did not do it, he's a child."
Rosa has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 39-year-old Irina Garcia, NBC-6 reported. He is being tried as an adult.
The murder occurred as Garcia slept in a bed next to 14-day-old half sister, Local-10 reported.
Police have said that Rosa confessed to stabbing the woman more than 40 times after he had searched on the internet for the best place to stab a person and the best knife to cut bones. According to NBC-6, police said that Rosa called a friend and sent the friend three photos. Two pictures were of his mother, and a selfie appeared to show Rosa posing with bloody hands.
"I completely believe that he is innocent of all charges, he is a child, he can easily be manipulated by an adult," Ariana Reyes told NBC-6. "I believe there was more than one person in that scene, we hear noises in the background of the 911 call, I strongly believe that he's innocent and was manipulated by someone else around that scene."
