A Broward County jury on Monday convicted 26-year-old Marvin Jean-Pierre of first-degree murder in the 2020 killing of his roommate, 52-year-old Jose Mondelus.
The guilty verdict came nearly a week after the trial began. Jean-Pierre was immediately sentenced to life in prison. He has 30 days to appeal.
Defense attorney Gabe Ermine said his team plans to challenge the ruling. “While we respect the jury’s verdict, we disagree with it. Of course, we respect it, and we plan to appeal,” he said.
Jurors weighed Jean-Pierre’s claims of self-defense against the prosecution’s case for premeditated murder. Jean-Pierre testified that he acted after waking up to unwanted sexual advances from Mondelus, throwing an iron at him and fearing he was about to be assaulted.
But prosecutors presented grim evidence that told a different story. Mondelus’ body was found inside a closet at the Miramar apartment in January 2021. His feet were bound with a necktie, a bag was over his head, and his body had been wrapped in a carpet.
A medical examiner testified that while Mondelus suffered blunt force trauma, the cause of death was asphyxia from manual strangulation and plastic bag suffocation.
Mondelus, a longtime family friend, had been living with Jean-Pierre after the younger man’s mother arranged the housing following his eviction from their home for smoking marijuana. His sister reported him missing after he failed to answer his door or attend church band performances in late December 2020.
Police discovered his body on Jan. 1, 2021, during a welfare check.
