Man sentenced to life in prison for deadly shooting of cyclist on Rickenbacker Causeway
MIAMI - A man found guilty of shooting and killing a bicyclist on the Rickenbacker Causeway in August 2019 has been sentenced to life in prison.
On Thursday at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami, Judge Alberto Milian told Kadel Peidrahita that the case was cold-blooded murder.
"He shot an unarmed man on a public road, which could've been a disaster," he said.
Milian spoke directly to Peidrahita's defense team before delivering his sentencing for the shooting death of 48-year-old bicyclist Alex Palencia. Milian, who had presided over the case since the beginning, said that it was an outrageous abuse of having a firearm.
I clearly see you, the defendant, attempting to knock Alex Palencia off of his bicycle while riding a motorcycle. I clearly see an aggressive individual also using obscenities throughout," he said. "I also see that individual achieved his objective destabilizing Alex Palencia on that bicycle."
On September 16, a jury found Piedrahita guilty of second-degree murder. Piedrahita had claimed the shooting was self-defense. He was also found guilty of aggravated assault with a firearm. For that, he was sentenced to five years.
A victim impact statement was read by the mother of Palencia's children, saying their lives would never be the same.
"There are days where even getting out of bed feels impossible and troubled with feelings of emptiness and darkness that we never knew existed," she said.
Piedrahita asked for forgiveness from Palencia's family.
"No one won in the problem," his translator said. "We all lost: You all lost Alex -- I lost my family."
However, Palencia's brother said outside of the courtroom that justice was served.
"The sentence was sufficient," he said. "It was not any less than he deserved."
Piedrahita must serve at least 25 years of his life sentence and his attorneys have 30 days to file an appeal.
The shooting
Police said Piedrahita shot Palencia during an early morning ride on the causeway on August 14 and it was caught on cell phone video.
Just after 6 a.m., Piedrahita recorded himself on Facebook Live riding a motorcycle and following a group of cyclists. Piedrahita reportedly often rode with cyclists to ensure their safety. Suddenly, there's a confrontation and the phone goes down. Gunfire is then heard.
Palencia was taken to the Ryder Trauma Center, where he died.
During Piedrahita's trial, prosecutors said the scuffle and shooting were the result of a feud that had developed days earlier.
Palencia's daughter said her father and Piedrahita knew each other. She said her father had sold Piedrahita some type of insurance and Piedrahita went on an angry tirade on Facebook, calling her father a con man.