Punta Gorda man sentenced to life in prison in 2018 murder case

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

0 4 minutes read

A Punta Gorda man was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole in connection with the death of a 21-year-old black gay man who was shot and killed in September 2018.

Juan Salazar-Diaz was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder and auto theft in March. The 26-year-old chose to represent himself during the trial after several public defenders withdrew due to conflicts of interest or irreconcilable differences, according to court records.

North Port police arrested Salazar-Diaz in December 2018 in connection with the death of Tyren Kinard. The 21-year-old man was found partially clothed lying in the roadway near Red Oak Road and Sawyer Circle in North Port, according to a probable cause affidavit and trial testimony. Kinard had been shot several times in the face and body.

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As Salazar-Diaz attempted to discredit law enforcement witnesses during the trial by picking holes in the timing of when his DNA and fingerprints were placed in the victim's car and on a pack of Newport cigarettes recovered near Kinard's body, a jury found him guilty after two hours of deliberation.

Assistant District Attorney Karen Fraivillig said that while no one will know exactly why Salazar-Diaz killed Kinard — whether because of a sexual encounter gone wrong or fear of being outed as gay — the evidence have largely confirmed that he was a killer.

Sarasota Circuit Court Judge Thomas Krug also sentenced Salazar-Diaz to five years in prison for robbery, concurrent with the life sentence and gave him credit for the time he spent in prison awaiting trial.

Due to Salazar-Diaz's criminal history, including the fact that he had been released from prison in 2016 and was convicted of the crime within three years of his release, Salazar-Diaz was also sentenced in under Florida's habitual offender release law, meaning he received the maximum sentence for the new offense.

Before the hearing concluded, Krug asked whether he should appoint an attorney for Salazar-Diaz for the appeal process, warning that there were very specific guidelines to follow or one could lose the right to do so. call. Salazar-Diaz maintained his choice to continue representing himself, asking the judge to declare him indigent.

That's when Krug turned to Salazar-Diaz's standby attorney, Jennifer Strouf, who took the stand to explain that Salazar-Diaz was asking the court to declare him indigent for associated costs. to the appeals process so that he can receive the records and transcripts. without having to pay.

“Do you realize what you could have done in the last five minutes? Your call could be nonexistent,” Krug said.

Despite Krug's urgent warnings that the appeals process is difficult and that even professional attorneys can have difficulty with the process, Salazar-Diaz stood by his decision to represent himself without a qualified attorney.

“It’s now in your hands,” Krug said.

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“He was and still is so loved”: the victim’s mother speaks during the sentencing of her son’s killer

In the courtroom Friday afternoon for the 30-minute hearing, only one side of the gallery was filled with relatives of Tyren Kinard, who also passed through London. Pamela and Garry Kinard sat with their son and Tyren Kinard's twin brother in the second row.

Behind Salazar-Diaz, who wore a yellow prison jumpsuit, the gallery remained mostly empty.

Only two people spoke at the hearing, including Pamela Kinard and Salazar-Diaz, who continued to maintain his innocence in the case.

Pamela Kinard read from a statement she had prepared, her voice cracking as she described London as being a mama's boy and that every time she came home late for any reason, London would call her to ask her where she was.

For London's family, the date September 8, 2018 will forever be etched in their minds, as questions about why Salazar-Diaz killed London still remain unclear.

Pamela Kinard came up with her own theory that Salazar-Diaz is gay and was in a relationship with London and wanted to keep it a secret while London, who was comfortable with who he was and lived his truth freely, didn't want to stay hidden .

She confirmed to a Herald-Tribune reporter after the sentencing that although some media outlets had identified Kinard as possibly a black transgender woman, because Kinard used social media accounts linked to the name Londonn Moore, her son said he was gay.

Even though she will never receive a call from her son again, Pamela Kinard still has every text message from London saved on her phone, “because that's how I have to remember him now, all because Juan cannot live his truth.

“Did my London know he was going to die that night? Did he call me and I couldn't hear him? Did he die instantly, or did he suffer no more for a fraction of a second?” Pamela Kinard questioned in court. “He left my London on the street in nothing but a pair of shorts. London wasn't trash, he was someone. He was my child, my gay son, and he was and still is so love.”

There are many things the London family misses about him, Pamela Kinard said, from his smile with “those beautiful dimples” to his sense of humor, his kindness and even his messy side, to the fact that that at 20, he still enjoyed spending time with his parents.

Although some wonder why Pamela Kinard isn't bitter or angry with Salazar-Diaz, the mother of two said she doesn't have the energy or time to devote to those feelings because it doesn't wouldn't take her back to London. Instead, she said she prayed that he would spend the rest of his life in prison and find God.

“I feel sorry for Mr. Juan José Salazar-Diaz. Maybe he never knew this kind of love and that's why it meant nothing to him to take London's life,” said Pamela Kinard. “I have no idea what his life has been like but I guess it hasn't been easy since he became a killer at the age of 20, but my prayer for him is that he asks God to forgive him for this evil act he has done.

Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support his work by making a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at [email protected], or on X: @GabrielaSzyman3.

Lina Portman

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