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Mother's Plea: "He is my son" in murder trial
14 Oct
Summary
- Mother testified for her son, the accused triple murderer.
- Defense claims traumatic brain injury altered his behavior.
- Jury to decide death penalty for suffocating three victims.
Mercedes Pedraza testified in court on Tuesday during the penalty phase of her son Alberto Sierra's trial. Sierra, 42, pleaded guilty in August to the 2012 murders of his estranged wife, Gladys Machado, and her two daughters, Julia Padrino, 6, and Daniela Padrino, 3. The three victims were suffocated with a plastic bag.
Pedraza testified about Sierra's upbringing and the impact of a traumatic brain injury he sustained at age 12 after being hit by a car. The defense is using this injury to argue that it altered his behavior and decision-making abilities. A psychologist specializing in brain-behavior, Dr. Erin Bigler, also testified via Zoom, explaining the vulnerability of the frontal lobe to such injuries. The jury will now decide if Sierra will face the death penalty for the murders.
The trial is scheduled to resume Wednesday morning.
