The Shocking Case of Derek Rosa: A 13-Year-Old Accused of Matricide

“I just killed my mother… is that bad?”

Jonathan Harker
3 min readMar 27, 2024
Source.

A Chilling Discovery

In a disturbing case that has left a Florida community reeling, 13-year-old Derek Rosa has been accused of brutally stabbing his mother, Irina Garcia, 39, to death as she slept next to her 2-week-old baby. The gruesome crime took place on October 12 in their Hialeah apartment, where the family had lived for two years.

A Haunting Confession

Mother, Irina. Source.

During a pre-trial hearing, prosecutors played a chilling recording of Rosa allegedly confessing to the murder. In the audio, the 8th-grade honor roll student can be heard telling a detective, “I woke up, I grabbed one of the kitchen knives and I went to her room… I killed her.” Rosa reportedly insulted his mother, calling her “Maricona” (a Spanish slur meaning “faggot”) before stabbing her over 40 times, leaving her splayed on the floor with dozens of knife wounds, including a slashed artery in her neck.

A Planned Attack?

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Jonathan Harker
Jonathan Harker

Written by Jonathan Harker

Hey! My name is Jonathan. I’m a true crime writer and podcast producer.