Miami-Dade jurors have awarded death to a man guilty of fatally beating a woman in Hialeah

Eight years after a woman’s body was found on the grassy grounds of a Hialeah motel, completely naked and covered in blood, a Miami-Dade jury recommended that her killer also die.

Last week, the same jury found Ronald Lopez Andrade guilty of raping and then killing 30-year-old Yaimi Guevara Machado.

Late Wednesday evening, even though not all jurors found the crime heinous, atrocious or cruel, they still recommended death as a potential punishment by an 8-4 majority.

Jurors also found that first-degree murder was committed while the defendant was involved in a sexual battery.

According to the arrest report, Machado was staying with a friend at the Chesapeake Motel at 935 W. Okeechobee Road when she was accidentally locked in her room while not fully clothed.

The report says Lopez Andrade arrived at the motel lobby around 4:30 a.m. and purchased four beers and cigarettes. The report said he harassed a cleaner and a salesperson and asked staff if there were any prostitutes there.

Lopez Andrade then met Machado, who was wearing only a bra and jeans, and he gave her his shirt. But when Machado refused Lopez Andrade’s advances, he became furious and they began arguing, the report said.

Prosecutors say Lopez Andrade raped her and then strangled her.

Machado’s body was found completely nude in a grassy area on the motel’s property.

A tragic death has devastated a South Florida family, and a Hialeah motel has been ordered to pay the woman’s parents $12 million due to the negligence of staff who prevented her death.

The lawsuit alleged that staff sold Lopez Andrade alcohol, tried to help him find a prostitute and allowed Lopez Andrade to stay on motel property even though he was not a guest.

The family also alleged that staff failed to evict Lopez Andrade from the property after he demanded sexual favors from the housekeeper.

As for the criminal trial, Lopez Andrade will have another hearing at the end of this year where the judge will have the final say on the sentence.

This is the second time this year that a Miami-Dade jury has recommended death. In an 8-4 vote, jurors recommended the death sentence for Ysrael Granda, a man found guilty of ordering the death of his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. Grandpa is waiting for the verdict.