logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
40m 44s

Timid Honor Student Son Stabs Mom Dead, ...

iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline
About this episode

The 13-year-old Derek Rosa is caught on the family's nanny cam, standing over his sleeping mother moments before the honor student stabs her to death. His newborn sister is sleeping in a crib steps away. 

Derek Rosa is not your typical 13-year-old boy: He is on the honor roll with neighbors saying he is exceedingly nice and the model son.

Irena Garcia, 39, just gave birth to a baby girl. So it was shocking when the teen called 911, telling the dispatcher that he snuck into the room where his mom and the baby were sleeping and stabbed his mother dead. 

As the operator talks to Rosa, he tells her he took pictures of the murder and sent them to a "friend." He also says he then deleted the photos. When pressed for the friend's name, Rosa says it is just somebody he knows online. During his call with 911, Rosa said he had a gun he planned to use to kill himself but decided not to.  

Derek Rosa was taken into custody and transported to a juvenile detention center. He was then moved to Jackson Memorial Hospital after he threatened to harm himself.

Rosa was initially charged with second-degree murder, but a Miami-Dade grand jury found enough probable cause to indict the teen as an adult and up the charge to first-degree murder.

Rosa's defense attorney has put motions in front of the judge to move this case back to juvenile court. 

Joining Nancy Grace today:

  • Jason Oshins - Criminal & Civil Attorney 
  • Dr. James Garbarino – Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Cornell University and Loyola University Chicago (specialized in studying what causes violence in children); Author of, “Listening to Killers: Lessons Learned from My 20 Years as a Psychological Expert Witness in Murder Cases”
  • Master Sergeant Ron Livingston - Sergeant at Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (30+ years in law enforcement)
  • Dr. Tim Gallagher - Medical Examiner State of Florida; Lecturer: University of Florida Medical School Forensic Medicine; Founder/Host: International Forensic Medicine Death Investigation Conference
  • Caitlyn Becker - Senior Reporter for Dailymail.com; Twitter: @caitlynbecker 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Today
Gold Medal Shocker: Mary Lou Retton Flips Out During DUI Arrest Caught On Cam| Crime Alert 6AM 07.10.2025
From scoring perfect 10's and public adoration at the 1984 Olympics to public shock! Gymnastics icon Mary Lou Retton's DUI arrest...is caught on camera & her behavior towards the cops is far from gold. A husband poisons his Dementia-stricken wife's drink, then smothers her in a g ... Show More
7m 34s
Yesterday
DIDDY WHAT?: COURT Hearing OVER IN JUST SECONDS 1 Week After Verdict, DEFENSE "DIDDY IMAGE MAKEOVER
Sean 'Diddy" Combs' legal team drops push for expedited sentencing. Defense attorneys sought to expedite Combs' sentencing after his verdict last week, but indicated they conferred with federal prosecutors and agree on the original date proposed last week by Judge Subramanian. Th ... Show More
44m 42s
Yesterday
Is Sean Combs the New OJ? Diddy To Be Sentenced on 30th Anniversary of OJ Verdict | Crime Alert 07.09.25
Sean “Diddy” Combs will be sentenced on October 3 in New York after a federal jury found him guilty on two counts of transporting individuals to engage in prostitution. As new civil suits are piling up, Diddy's male escorts are spilling the tea. Brian Kohberger's signed guilty pl ... Show More
7m 34s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2022
Fugitive who faked death nearly killed by Covid / Boy reported dead by mom found alone in motel
In this week's True Crime Daily Podcast: An American man accused of sex crimes in multiple states reportedly died from cancer in 2020. Now authorities say he faked his death and became an international fugitive, after he's caught in a Scottish hospital with a near-fatal case of C ... Show More
46m 53s
Jun 2024
Closings in Karen Read's trial. Teens charged with first degree murder. And a half-confession complicates a prosecution.
Hundreds of people in pink shirts are on verdict watch in Dedham, Mass., where a jury is considering three charges against the woman accused of killing her police officer boyfriend with her SUV. In Arizona parents are demanding answers after a 16-year-old was beaten to death. The ... Show More
24m 13s
Aug 2023
Mother and Son Convicted in Murder Conspiracy
A Pennsylvania woman has been handed a lengthy prison sentence for her involvement in a murder conspiracy that targeted her ex-boyfriend - a case that also involved enlisting her own son as the triggerman. Joyce Brown Rodriguez, 56, will spend a minimum of 20 years and a maximum ... Show More
7m 25s
Jun 2024
Former cop convicted for teen’s murder; Dad who drugged daughter’s friends sentenced – TCN Sidebar
In this episode of True Crime Daily The Sidebar Podcast: Jack Rice joins host Joshua Ritter to break down the biggest cases making headlines across the nation. They discuss Young Thug’s attorney held in contempt by a judge, the conviction of a cop for the kidnapping and murder of ... Show More
44m 35s
Jun 2024
Teen taken from school before desert slaying; DNA links her killer to multiple missing women
This Week on True Crime News the Podcast: A teen’s disappearance from school is treated like a runaway case despite her parents’ concerns, until the girl’s body is found in a shallow desert grave. Years after her brutal murder, DNA finds the man responsible for her tragic death.M ... Show More
53m 52s
Jun 2024
How The Parents Of A School Shooter Ended Up Behind Bars
What a 15-year-old student unleashed on Oxford High School in 2021, didn’t just land himself in prison, he took his mother and father down with him.  Jennifer and James Crumbley became the first parents convicted in a US mass shooting, each receiving at least 10 years in prison.  ... Show More
48m 2s
May 2024
Daughter stabs father to death after being cut out of will; Beloved teacher allegedly killed by son
This Week on True Crime Daily The Podcast: A self-entitled daughter sentenced to life for the brutal stabbing of her father and his girlfriend after she was cut out of his will. Plus, a beloved kindergarten teacher allegedly killed by her son who suffered from mental health issue ... Show More
1h 7m