Live updates: Today’s South Florida news

Cameras helped identify suspect linked to several Miami Beach burglaries, police say

A 57-year-old man was arrested in Miami Beach and linked by detectives to several burglaries at businesses in the North Beach area, according to the Miami Beach Police Department.

Read more Bill Clinton campaigns for David Jolly in Broward as Florida governor’s race intensifies

Kevin Reilley was taken into custody after an investigation in which surveillance camera footage played a key role in identifying him, authorities said.

One of the cases happened Oct. 16 at around 7:28 a.m. at 7TY ONE, located at 1130 Normandy Drive.

According to the arrest report, a man approached the business’s glass front door and allegedly used a rock to break it before entering the store, which was unoccupied. Once inside, the suspect allegedly went behind the employee counter and forcibly removed a cash register drawer containing about $450.

Investigators reviewed the surveillance video and found similarities with another commercial burglary already under investigation in the area. According to the police report, detectives reviewed footage from the incident and later identified Kevin Reilley as the suspect.

In another separate case investigated by Miami Beach detectives, a man entered a business through the main door and went straight to the cash register, tried to open it, then ripped it out and left the store.

Reilley was located on Oct. 19 in the Miami Beach area and arrested without incident. Authorities said he was wearing shorts, boots, and a backpack that investigators said matched what was seen in the surveillance footage.

“Protecting our businesses and holding offenders accountable are priorities for this department,” Chief Wayne A. Jones said in the police statement. “This arrest reflects the persistence of our officers and detectives and our commitment to North Beach’s safety. We will continue going after those who target our community.”

According to Miami Beach Police, Reilley faces multiple charges, including burglary of an unoccupied structure while masked, possession of burglary tools, criminal mischief, and petit theft.

This story was translated from Spanish with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool. An NBC6 digital editor reviewed the translation

Bill Clinton campaigns for David Jolly in Broward as Florida governor’s race intensifies

Former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly in Broward County, while Republican candidate Byron Donalds made a stop in Miami-Dade, as both campaigns work to mobilize voters ahead of Election Day.

“I think we ought to give David Jolly a chance,” Clinton told the crowd during an interfaith service supporting the Democratic candidate at the Koinonia Worship Center. 

Clinton urged voters to support a governor focused on Floridians’ needs rather than political divisions.

“You want somebody who will wake up every morning thinking about what you need, not what will make President Trump happy,” Clinton said.

The former president, who told the audience he had recently turned 80, criticized divisive politics and highlighted the rising cost of living as a major challenge facing Florida residents.

“The question is not how many people are going to be able to move here, the question is whether the people who already live here can stay here and have a good life,” Clinton said.

Jolly, a former Republican congressman who later became a Democrat, addressed the congregation at a Black church in Pembroke Park, emphasizing immigration concerns and his prediction that Democrats could win the governor’s race.

“What’s going to happen on election night is this state is about to elect a Democratic governor for the first time in 30 years,” Jolly said.

He also pointed to concerns affecting immigrant communities, including Venezuelans in Doral and Haitians facing deportation.

“When a Venezuelan cannot drive through Doral without fear of getting profiled and getting picked up … when a Haitian is being ripped away for deportation,” Jolly said.

Supporter Susan Gregg said she attended the event because of concerns about the country’s political future.

“I am here because I’m terrified that we’re going to lose democracy as we know it,” Gregg said.

Clinton’s visit also included a private fundraiser in Miami that brought in $3 million for Jolly’s campaign.

Meanwhile, Donalds, the Republican candidate for governor, campaigned at La Carreta Cuban Cafe in Westchester, a predominantly Republican area of Miami-Dade County.

Donalds focused on affordability, economic opportunity and the needs of Florida families and retirees.

“We gotta make it more affordable. We gotta drive prices down for people. We want young children to be able to achieve a great dream in Florida. We want seniors to live out their golden years in Florida,” Donalds said.

The competing campaign stops highlighted both parties’ efforts to energize their respective voter bases in South Florida as the gubernatorial race approaches its final stretch.

Donalds is also scheduled to appear with President Donald Trump in Southwest Florida on Friday.

Florida has not elected a Democratic governor since the late 1990s, making the race a significant test for Democrats seeking to regain statewide power.

Jury recommends death for man who killed wife, 2 stepdaughters in 2012

A jury on Tuesday recommended that Alberto Sierra be sentenced to death for the 2012 killings of his wife and two young stepdaughters.

Read more Jury recommends death for man who killed wife, 2 stepdaughters in 2012

Jurors heard closing arguments Monday as prosecutors urged them to recommend death, while Sierra’s defense attorneys asked to spare his life.

Sierra admitted to suffocating his wife, Gladys Machado, and her daughters, 6-year-old Julia and 3-year-old Daniela, using a grocery bag.

Under Florida law, at least eight of the 12 jurors would need to recommend the death penalty. All jurors except one recommended a death sentence for the mother’s murder; all 12 jurors voted for death for the 6-year-old’s murder; and eight jurors voted for death for the 3-year-old.

Prosecutors said the family had planned to go shopping with Sierra in November 2012, but the trip turned deadly.

According to prosecutors, Sierra and Machado were in the process of separating when he accused her of cheating. Prosecutors said an argument eventually led to Sierra kidnapping Machado and the children from a mall and taking them to an apartment.

State Attorney Abbe Rifkin told jurors that Machado was bound, humiliated and tortured for hours while her daughters witnessed much of what happened.

Prosecutors said Sierra later killed Machado and the two girls and sexually assaulted two of the victims.

Machado’s son, Michael Padrino, survived because he had stayed behind with his great-grandmother watching “Caso Cerrado,” a Spanish court TV show. Now 19, he told jurors about the life and memories that were taken from his family.

“We were supposed to have more time together, more birthdays, more holidays, more days where nothing important is happening or arguing over dumb things,” Padrino said.

Prosecutors argued Sierra deserves the death penalty, telling jurors there is only one appropriate verdict in the case.

“It might be hard. But it’s right. It’s just. And it’s time,” Rifkin told the jury.

Sierra’s attorneys, however, asked jurors to choose life in prison. The defense pointed to a brain injury Sierra suffered after he was hit by a car as a child as part of its argument against a death sentence.

“We are here to remind you he is a human being,” said Khurrum Wahid, Sierra’s defense attorney.

Capital cases used to require all 12 jurors to vote yes, but the threshold changed after the Parkland shooting trial, where a 9-3 jury vote resulted in a life sentence for the shooter.

Up next, the judge will hold a Spencer hearing on Nov. 2, which is the defense’s last chance to ask for life in prison before Sierra is sentenced. The judge will ultimately decide Sierra’s fate.

Florida Bar places employee on leave over ‘morally reprehensible’ comments to Miami football player

The Florida Bar said Tuesday it has placed an employee on administrative leave amid an investigation into online comments that were sent to a Miami football player after the Hurricanes beat Florida State last weekend.

Kade McLendon, who has worked at the Bar for about two years as a computer technician, was identified as the employee. An account from a person using McLendon’s name sent a number of messages to Miami’s Damon Wilson II after the Hurricanes’ 43-35 victory, including several racist and homophobic slurs.

Wilson, who is Black, shared a screenshot of the messages publicly Sunday, calling it a “glimpse into the life of a black student athlete.”

“The messages in question are not only ethically and morally reprehensible but also violate our internal social media policy for employees,” the Bar said in its statement. “As the internal investigation continues, we are committed to enforcing our policies and procedures while making sure that any due process rights are protected.”

An attempt by The Associated Press to reach McLendon on Tuesday was unsuccessful. It’s unclear why the private messages were sent to Wilson, who is in his first season at Miami after previously playing at Georgia and Missouri.

“That’s my brother and I embrace him,” Miami offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez said Tuesday when asked about Wilson and the online comments. “It’s more than a game. That’s my brother.”

Miami, the No. 1-ranked team in the AP Top 25, next plays Saturday at home against Pittsburgh.

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Lauderhill officer arrested after allegedly taking over dead resident’s home, using his ID

A Lauderhill Police officer accused of taking over a dead resident’s home and using their identity was arrested on Tuesday, authorities said.

Brian Sguros, 35, is facing several charges, including criminal use of a deceased person’s personal identification Information, criminal use of personal identification information, and offense against users of computers.

According to Lauderhill police, an investigation was launched on May 27 after a complaint was received. The investigation uncovered alleged conduct stemming from a July 2022 welfare check.

An arrest affidavit said Sguros and other officers responded to a welfare check in Lauderhill in 2022, where they found a resident who had died of natural causes.

Sguros was then accused by investigators of taking possession of the resident’s home without any legal right to it, the affidavit said. He allegedly used the homeowner’s identity and a notary’s name and seal on a City of Lauderhill building permit application, as well as using his cellphone to send those documents and using police computers without authorization to look up the deceased resident’s records.

The resident’s lawful heirs were later identified.

Following the investigation into Sguros’ conduct, on July 22, he was relieved of duty and placed on administrative leave with pay.

Read more North Lauderdale store clerk speaks out after customer pepper-sprays him

After his arrest, Sguros was placed on administrative leave without pay.

An investigation into the incident remains active.