St Augustine, FL – The defense for the Deltona man convicted of triple murder argued during sentencing Thursday that a brain injury caused the man to murder.
Luis Toledo, of Deltona, was convicted of killing his wife, Yessenia Suarez, and her two children, Michael and Thalia Otto, and now faces the death penalty. During the sentencing portion of Toledo’s trial on Thursday, his defense claims the killing was a result of mental illness caused by a brain injury and that he should be sentenced to life without parole. Prosecutors argued that the defense cannot diagnose Toledo based on brain scan images.
The judge also told Toledo to stop making hand gestures as they violate security rules. Experts with the State Attorney’s Office say that his gestures meant "to go ahead and just do something," but it is unknown who he was trying to talk to. Toledo said he does not want his defense to try to help him avoid a death sentence.
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