The hotel security guard accused of killing a Florida tourist during her birthday trip to Costa Rica more than a year ago has been found guilty of second-degree murder.
Bismarck Espinoza Martínez, of Nicaragua, on Monday was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the November 2018 murder of Carla Stefaniak, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Costa Rican prosecutors had sought an 18 year sentence, while Stefaniak’s family had called for the maximum penalty of 50 years.
“For me, this is another day of frustration, sadness and pain,” Stefaniak’s father Carlos Caicedo told local outlet CRHoy.com about the sentence.
The court in Pavas found that Martínez, 33, had used his position at the Villa Le Mas hotel to enter the room Stefaniak was renting through Airbnb and kill her.
The insurance agent from Hallandale Beach had been celebrating her 36th birthday in the Central American country with her sister-in-law April Antonieta, who flew home a day before Stefaniak was set to.
The last time Stefaniak’s family heard from her was the night of Nov. 27, 2018, after she had checked into the small hotel.
“It’s pretty sketchy here,” Stefaniak wrote in a text.
Her body was found Dec. 3, 2018, partially buried and covered with plastic bags behind the complex that housed her Airbnb. Blood was found inside the apartment.
An autopsy revealed that she suffered a blunt force wound to the head and was stabbed seven times, including in the palm of her hand.
Prosecutors said the wounds indicated that Stefaniak had been trying to defend herself from a sexually motivated attack.
Carla González, a cleaning worker at the resort, testified last month that Martínez had confessed to the crime.
Police said he had also lied and told them that Stefaniak had left the hotel Nov. 28 for her flight to Miami as planned.
He was also charged with aggravated robbery but acquitted due to lack of evidence. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to pay Stefaniak’s family $53,000 in compensation,
Both parties plan to appeal the sentence.
With Post wires
