Alleged Facebook Killer Derek Medina Now Faces First-Degree Murder Charge
The South Miami man who allegedly killed his wife and posted a photo of her body on Facebook now faces a first-degree murder charge, according to online court records.
Derek Medina, 31, had initially faced charges of second-degree murder, shooting a deadly missile and child neglect without great bodily harm in the Aug. 8 shooting of his wife Jennifer Alfonso, 26.
But he had a court hearing Monday with the updated charges, according to court records. NBC 6 South Florida learned that an indictment was filed, but it was not immediately available.
Medina previously pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder and child neglect charges, and had not entered a plea for the shooting a deadly missile charge.
Medina told detectives he shot Alfonso in self-defense after she continually punched him and pulled a knife on him in their South Miami townhouse, according to Medina’s sworn statement to police.
Medina took the knife away from his wife and put it back into a kitchen drawer before the shooting, a police search warrant said.
But the victim’s best friend, Daysi Fernandez, claimed that Medina was the aggressor.
Medina admitted to posting the photo of his wife’s body and an admission on his Facebook page before he surrendered to police, according to the warrant.
He said he posted the photo to notify his wife’s family, the sworn statement said.
Medina called his boss to confess to the crime, a 911 call released in October revealed.
Medina is being held without bond.
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