Florida man will be executed for smothering his wife and two of her daughters with plastic bag during messy separation

A Florida jury has recommended the death penalty for Alberto Sierra, who pleaded guilty to killing his estranged wife, Gladys Machado, and her daughters, Julia and Daniela, during a bitter separation. The recommendation follows testimony about the 2012 killings and the abuse that prosecutors said preceded them; a judge will make the final decision.

Jurors voted unanimously for a death sentence over Julia’s murder, 11 to one for Machado’s, and eight to four for Daniela’s. Florida law requires at least eight jurors to recommend death, and a hearing on 2 November will allow the defence to argue for life imprisonment. The girls’ father and their brother gave statements about the loss and its lasting impact.