MIAMI (AP) A Florida man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder charges in the fatal shooting of his wife, whose bloody corpse was later depicted in photos he posted on Facebook.
The plea was entered during a brief hearing by an attorney for Derek Medina, 31, who also
faces charges of illegally discharging a firearm inside their Miami home and with child neglect without violence. The young daughter of Medina's wife, 26-year-old Jennifer Alfonso, was in the home at the time, but was not harmed.
No decision has been made on whether the state will seek the death penalty, said Assistant State Attorney J. Scott Dunn. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Yvonne Colodny set a Jan. 29 status hearing to discuss the potential death penalty and scheduled a tentative trial date for March 17.
Medina, in red jail jumpsuit and a full, dark beard, did not speak during the hearing. His attorneys have previously said he shot his wife in self-defense while she attacked him after several previous abusive episodes. Police say she was cowering and likely on her knees when Medina filed the fatal shots.
Prosecutors said they also have evidence that Medina had told other people he would kill Alfonso if she ever tried to leave him. Medina himself told investigators his wife had announced she was leaving earlier that day.
