Using a glimpse of the attacker’s face, along with DNA and fingerprints, prosecutors from the Hillsborough State Attorney’s secured a guilty verdict just before 11 p.m. Tuesday night in the first-degree murder trial of 41-year-old Yuniel Sentmanat-Gonzalez. Minutes later, the defendant was sentenced to life in prison.
The victim was operating a marijuana grow house inside his Brandon home.
On May 14, 2015, the victim and his girlfriend were inside the home when a group of four to six people wearing masks to conceal their identities shattered the rear sliding glass door.
The first person to rush through the opening into the house was armed with a gun. Some of the others were armed with machetes.
The victim immediately began to fight back with the attackers, including one who was wielding a machete. The victim continued to fight with this group and ultimately was able to push them out of the sliding glass door, where at least one attacker was cut on the glass.
The perpetrators ran through the backyard and jumped over the fence. The victim, overcome by wounds from the fight, did not survive the attack.
During the struggle, despite being mortally wounded, the victim managed to pull the mask off of one of the attackers. This proved to be the key evidence in the case.
The victim’s girlfriend was able to see parts of the attacker’s face—and the mask, which was left behind at the scene, contained the defendant’s DNA. In addition, investigators were able to identify Sentmanat-Gonzalez’s fingerprints on three plastic garbage bags found at the scene.
Assistant State Attorneys Christine Brown and Darrell Dirks led the prosecution. They used the combination of the girlfriend’s eyewitness account of the attacker’s face, the DNA, the fingerprints, and other supporting evidence to secure a guilty verdict following a six-day trial.
“Our office has prioritized going after the most violent offenders, and this machete-wielding murderer certainly fits that bill. Our community is much safer with him behind bars for life,” Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said.
The defendant, who was born in Cuba, heard the verdict through an interpreter. He was found guilty of first-degree felony murder, burglary of a dwelling, and attempted robbery. Judge Rex Barbas sentenced Sentmanat-Gonzalez to life in prison at the conclusion of the trial.
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