“YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!” — VICTIM’S BROTHER BREAKS DOWN AND CONFRONTS THE MAN ACCUSED OF TAKING HIS FAMILY

An emotional courtroom moment erupted Tuesday when the son and brother of three murder victims could no longer hold back while facing the man who admitted to killing his estranged wife and her two young daughters.

Michael Padrino Jr. became overwhelmed with emotion while testifying against his stepfather, Alberto Sierra, 42, who pleaded guilty to the murders of his estranged wife, Gladys del Carmen Sierra, and her daughters, Julia, 6, and Daniela, 4. Prosecutors are now seeking the death penalty.

For days, jurors had been hearing disturbing testimony and reviewing evidence surrounding the deaths. Prosecutors have presented videos in which Sierra reportedly described details of the crimes, while family members and friends were called to tell the jury about the three people whose lives were taken.

But when Padrino took the stand, the courtroom became deeply emotional.

He remembered his mother as a hardworking woman who always made sure her children had what they needed. Then he spoke about his two little sisters — children he once played with at home, arguing and laughing over the ordinary things siblings do.

As he struggled through his statement, the reality of what he had lost appeared to overwhelm him.

Then he turned toward Sierra.

“You took them. You know you did!” Padrino shouted.

Prosecutors immediately rushed toward the witness stand and urged him to stop. But Padrino, overcome with anger and grief, continued yelling:

“You know what you did!”

The jury was quickly removed from the courtroom as Padrino sat at the table with his hands clenched into fists, crying. An advocate eventually took his arm and escorted him out — directly past Sierra.

Sierra, meanwhile, remained silent and expressionless as the emotional confrontation unfolded around him.

The moment came at the end of the prosecution’s case. Prosecutors then rested, bringing this stage of the proceedings to a close.

Now the decision ahead is enormous.

Because Sierra has already pleaded guilty to murder, burglary, kidnapping and abuse of a dead body, the jury is not deciding whether he committed the killings. Instead, jurors will ultimately recommend whether he should receive the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

For Padrino, however, Tuesday’s testimony was about something far more personal than a legal argument.

It was about a mother who will never come home.

Two little sisters who will never grow up.

And a man sitting just feet away from him whom he blames for taking them all away.

What happened inside this family before the triple murder — and what evidence has prosecutors presented that could determine whether Alberto Sierra lives out the rest of his life in prison or faces execution?

Read the full story and watch the emotional courtroom moment that brought the trial to a halt.

Source: Court TV — Full Story