A 42-year-old man pleaded guilty in the 2012 deaths of his former wife and her two young daughters. Alberto Sierra appeared before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez on August 7, 2026. When the judge reminded him that he is facing the death penalty, Sierra replied: “Yes, ma’am. It’s been 14 years, so …”

Sierra was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and kidnapping, two counts of abuse of a human body, and one count of burglary, according to the Miami Herald. He decided to take responsibility without a plea deal with prosecutors.

Case Background

Gladys Machado, 29, and her daughters, Julia Padron, 8, and Daniela Padron, 4, were found dead on November 13, 2012, after a neighbor noticed a foul odor coming from their Flagami home on the 7300 block of Northwest Fourth Street and alerted authorities. Their bodies were discovered inside the residence, with investigators determining that they were strangled with a plastic bag. Machado and Julia were allegedly also s——- assaulted after their deaths. Autopsy reports found Sierra’s DNA on the victims’ bodies.

Sierra was taken into custody a few days later. Machado’s six-year-old son was safe with his grandmother at the time of the incident.

Machado had worked as an administrative assistant for the Beauty Schools of America. “He used a plastic bag to asphyxiate Gladys,” detective Rosie Cordero-Stutz, now the Miami-Dade Sheriff, said. “And after that, he s——- assaulted her,” according to Local10.com. Authorities said that Sierra became furious with Machado, who had recently separated from him and was talking to another man on the phone in his presence.

What’s Next

Sierra faces either life imprisonment or the death penalty. Jury selection for the penalty phase is scheduled to begin on August 17.

A family friend, Olga Espinoza, described Machado at the time as friendly, outgoing, and a wonderful mother, and spoke of the children’s sweet nature. The loss was described as devastating for those who knew them.