FL - Derek Rosa, 13, charged as adult in stabbing death of mother Irina Garcia in her sleep, 13 Oct 2023

[mickey2942]

It makes me sad, to wonder what got into this child to have such rage to stab his mother to death. One would think that there had been some sort of signs, prior to this.

One thing that I don't like about the law in the United States, is the lack of consistency. One state would consider him a "child" without charging him as an adult. While this DA and state allowed to charge him as an adult.

 

[katydid23]

I'm wondering what his digital communications looked like. One article I read mentioned that he sent pics to his online friend, but he didn't know his real name, just his online name.

My question is, what was their conversation(s) like before he sent him (or her?) the pics of his dead mother?
Likewise, what was the conversation like after the pics were sent?

I wonder if that online friend has been verified by LE yet? In earlier articles LE stated they were 'not able to confirm' that he had sent photos to any one online.

I am still unsure if there is an online friend that he told about the stabbing.

 

[nao]

Moo...how long had the mother been single before she bought a man into the house? Some mother's will elevate there oldest or only child to more of a companion confidante when single or if they are going through issues in marriage. I am female I was used as confidante and protector, when it was useful for my mom, though if they were getting along I was nothing. My friends son put razor blades and broken glass in the side of bed where her new boyfriend slept, he was 14. He was treated as head of the house except when she had boyfriends. He became one of my sons from another mother. He said he was just angry he did not really know why he did it.
That's why I wonder how much this boys life changed when his mother remarried....moo

 

[wendybtn]

Is that her son on the left, with his hand on her stomach? I know it’s a thing for husband/daddy to do, but young sons? Maybe I’m too old fashioned.

I thought so, too.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[katydid23]

It always blows my mind when a defendant pleads Not Guilty after calling 911 and voluntarily confessing to the murder.

 

[Sarahlou]

It always blows my mind when a defendant pleads Not Guilty after calling 911 and voluntarily confessing to the murder.

Maybe he's going down the diminished responsibility route?

 

[PayrollNerd]

13-2023-CF-021321-0001-XX
MURDER 1ST DEGREE
ROSA, DEREK
DOB 08/26/2010

Docket updates.

https://www2.miamidadeclerk.gov/cjis/CaseSearch.aspx

 

[mpnola]

I think its interesting that BOTH sides of the family were there in support of him. So her family. I wonder if they know something we don't know...

 

[NeverPersonal]

having "no known issues" doesn't amount to much especially taking his age into consideration. a mentally healthy child would not do this. despite him looking older, he is a CHILD, who did an extremely horrible thing that will effect him and everyone who loves him and his mama. i dont know what came over this boy but i pray to god he finds healing and peace. may his mama and her baby rest in peace. i wont say anything negative toward the kid or family bc i dont feel like its our place. we have no idea what went on in the household, their relationships, and his brain. just my 2 cents.

 

[iamshadow21]

having "no known issues" doesn't amount to much especially taking his age into consideration. a mentally healthy child would not do this. despite him looking older, he is a CHILD, who did an extremely horrible thing that will effect him and everyone who loves him and his mama. i dont know what came over this boy but i pray to god he finds healing and peace. may his mama and her baby rest in peace. i wont say anything negative toward the kid or family bc i dont feel like its our place. we have no idea what went on in the household, their relationships, and his brain. just my 2 cents.

The baby didn't die. She was unharmed, in her crib.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I think its interesting that BOTH sides of the family were there in support of him. So her family. I wonder if they know something we don't know...

I'm not sure what you were alluding to but the first thing that comes to mind for me, is abuse.
He wouldn't be the first kid to do this, if that's what was going on.
Obviously this hasn't been stated yet, but it's one heck of a powerful motive for sure.

jmo

 

[Charlot123]

I'm not sure what you were alluding to but the first thing that comes to mind for me, is abuse.
He wouldn't be the first kid to do this, if that's what was going on.
Obviously this hasn't been stated yet, but it's one heck of a powerful motive for sure.

jmo

I was thinking of abuse, as well as asking myself what might have transpired between the divorce and the current husband. Is that possible that abuse might have happened in the hands of another guy and that mom was unaware? There might be displaced anger towards the mom who didn’t protect her son, or so so he thought.

Also, on a more practical note. How large was the apartment where the new lived and how close was the kid’s bedroom to his mom and her partner’s one? The boy is thirteen, puberty, he is starting to process something plus here is a new child, mom breastfeeding. I think it could have been simple Oedipal complex, maybe a normal phase of development, but the boy had no one to talk about it.

I, too, didn’t feel good about the pregnancy photo. In itself, there is nothing wrong in it except for it is pretentious and poorly executed. Just because a photographer chooses Annie Leibovitz theme, it doesn’t turn them into Annie Leibovitz. (In short: they chose a bad professional photographer. JMO). But for the boy already struggling with own puberty, especially if he was lonely. it might have been impossible to process own developing feelings towards women. He attacked mom because he was young and confused and no one noticed it.

My opinion: he should not be tried as an adult, no way.
He needs a counselor, now, he is at a huge risk of self-harm. He might be struggling from some mental condition plus having alexithymia and it contributed. It was realistically impossible for him to process all.
Probably just underscores the need for children of divorce to go through therapy. What could have been a phase of human development turned into a tragedy.

They might be Roman Catholics. Did the kid ever talk to a priest before it happened?

My condolences for Irina’s family. She left a very young baby and this boy. What a tragedy.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

There has been no reported abuse in the household at this point and I hope we can stay away from that speculation unless and until anything is reported to substantiate that.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

But for the boy already struggling with own puberty, especially if he was lonely. it might have been impossible to process own developing feelings towards women. He attacked mom because he was young and confused and no one noticed it.

But all around the world, teenage boys live in homes with their mothers who are remarried and have a baby with the stepfather. And it's very rare that these teenage boys stab their mother to death while she sleeps.

Thus I am not understanding the motive you're explaining? Hormones, loneliness, new feelings to process... probably. That describes a lot of 13-year-olds. But very very few do something like this suddenly and without warning.

I also am really unsure about charging him as an adult, because he's 13, and we don't know his diagnoses /perspective/etc.

 

[Ontario Mom]

There has been no reported abuse in the household at this point and I hope we can stay away from that speculation unless and until anything is reported to substantiate that.

I agree there are no known facts to support this specific speculation.
And yet, no one just wakes up one day and decides to stab mom to death.
Something pretty terrible compelled him to do that.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

I agree there are no known facts to support this specific speculation.
And yet, no one just wakes up one day and decides to stab mom to death.
Something pretty terrible compelled him to do that.

Absolutely yes, something terrible. Just don't want to read pages and pages of posts talking about abuse scenarios when we don't have anything alleging that. That's just TOS here, I know you know, just hoping to head it off.

 

[Charlot123]

But all around the world, teenage boys live in homes with their mothers who are remarried and have a baby with the stepfather. And it's very rare that these teenage boys stab their mother to death while she sleeps.

Thus I am not understanding the motive you're explaining? Hormones, loneliness, new feelings to process... probably. That describes a lot of 13-year-olds. But very very few do something like this suddenly and without warning.

I also am really unsure about charging him as an adult, because he's 13, and we don't know his diagnoses /perspective/etc.

You raise valid points. I would be interested to know about this boy's friendship group in general.

You are right- in my class, probably 50% of kids had divorced parents, many with moms remarried. And these kids were telling others what they saw/heard in their new families. But there was a group to vent it in for them. Today when kids communicate less but have online presence, who knows how they process it. I think that all kids who were schoolchildren when Covid hit missed something in their social development and are socially, probably two years younger than their biological age. (JMO - we don't have any studies yet.) So I'd feel bad if he is viewed as adult.

 

[Bethan]

The UK policy on charging those under 18 is in the link below.

Age of criminal responsibility

The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is 10 years old. Children are treated differently from adults, are dealt with by youth courts and sent to special secure centres for young people.

www.gov.uk

I will NEVER understand how a child of 13years can be charged as an adult in the United States!

Yes, a dreadful thing has happened & of course, there must be serious repercussions.

Something has gone TERRIBLY wrong in this child’s life and/or mind, which has led to the death of his mother.

Of course he needs to be in a secure unit for his own safety & that of other people, while he is assessed & if appropriate, medicated & rehabilitated.

Treating him as the child/juvenile that he is BIOLOGICALLY does not mean his crime ( if he is found to be criminally responsible) will go unpunished.

There seems to be such undue haste to “Name & Shame” a perpetrator in the media & to what end?? Sales. Clicks. $$$

How does this help the victims in this case…..the deceased mother & her devastated family??
They are only too aware of the identity of this 13 yr old.

Of course, like others here, I am eager to learn more about the circumstances of this case. However I also fully accept the need for privacy laws regarding juveniles.

 

[TristanP]

It always blows my mind when a defendant pleads Not Guilty after calling 911 and voluntarily confessing to the murder.

It’s expected for someone to plead NG even with a confession. LE has to investigate and prosecutors have to determine if there’s enough evidence to proceed with a trial. Most of the time there is in situations like this, but there are always exceptions.