In the murder confession he published on Facebook shortly before posting a picture of his wife's lifeless body, Derek Medina claimed his wife was punching him and he was "not going to stand anymore with the abuse." This morning, the Miami Herald reported Medina is "likely to claim self-defense."
See also: Derek Medina Kills His Wife in South Miami, Posts Pictures and Confession on Facebook
According to the arrest affidavit, Medina claims he was in a verbal argument with his wife, Jennifer Alfonso, that morning and around 10 a.m. went into a closet to arm himself with a gun. He then pointed it at his wife but didn't fire. He claims Alfonso told him that she was leaving him.
Alfonso then went downstairs, and Medina followed her unarmed. He claims she began punching him. He says he then went back upstairs to retrieve the gun. When he returned, Alfonso had armed herself with a kitchen knife. He says he was able to take the knife away and put it back in a drawer, at which point Alfonso began punching him again. That's when he shot her multiple times and left her lifeless body on their South Miami townhouse's kitchen floor.
His father, Derek Medina Sr., has now also claimed that his son killed Alfonso only after she pulled out a knife.
Still, by Medina's own account, he was the first to arm himself with a weapon and had successfully disarmed Alfonso before he shot her.
Several co-workers at a Denny's restaurant where Alfonso worked as a server claim that from their perspective, it seemed Medina was the abuser in the relationship, according to the Herald:
Alfonso's former boss at a West Miami-Dade Denny's told the Miami Herald that the husband was extremely jealous and had hit Alfonso in the past."She would be bruised up," said Amada Cooper, who described Medina as a controlling husband who tried to force her to quit her job as a server because he didn't want her working nights.
After several violent episodes, another co-worker implored Alfonso to leave him. "He would always come back, begging her... come back," said Cathy LaBella. "She would say he was going to change. She was in love with him."
Based on Medina's recounting of events, it seems unlikely that a self-defense argument would be successful.
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