Alberto Sierra Faces Death Penalty for Murdering Estranged Wife and Her Daughters, Ages 3 and 6

 

Alberto Sierra Faces Death Penalty After Murdering His Estranged Wife and Two Little Girls in Florida

On October 20, 2026, a Miami-Dade County jury recommended the death penalty for Alberto Sierra, 42, who murdered his estranged wife and her two young daughters in 2012.

The victims were:

• Gladys Machado, 29, his estranged wife

• Julia Padrino, 6, her daughter

• Daniela Padrino, 3, her daughter

According to prosecutors, Sierra became enraged during an argument over a phone call while the family was planning a shopping trip.

He held Gladys at knifepoint inside her car, forced her and the girls back to their home in Flagami, and killed all three.

Their bodies were discovered three days later, concealed inside an apartment closet.

The evidence presented at trial also established that Sierra sexually assaulted the bodies of Gladys and six-year-old Julia after killing them.

In August 2026, Sierra pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping, burglary, and abuse of a human corpse.

That guilty plea moved the case directly into the penalty phase.

After deliberating for approximately one day, the jury recommended death sentences for all three murders.

All 12 jurors voted for death in Julia's murder. Eleven voted for death in Gladys's murder, and eight voted for death in Daniela's murder.

Under Florida law, at least eight jurors must recommend death for a death sentence to be considered.

During closing arguments, Sierra's defense asked jurors to consider a traumatic childhood brain injury as a mitigating factor.

Prosecutors argued that the murders were deliberate, exceptionally cruel, and calculated.

The jury recommended capital punishment.

The final sentencing decision now rests with Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez, who will consider additional arguments before issuing her ruling.

Gladys was 29. Julia was six. Daniela was three.

A young mother and two little girls were kidnapped, murdered, and hidden away by a man who had once been part of their family.

Julia was six fucking years old. Daniela was three.

They should have had birthdays, first days of school, scraped knees, lost teeth, and entire lifetimes ahead of them.

Instead, their lives ended because a grown man decided his anger mattered more than their existence.