Roberto Alfonso, a male victim, was one of several individuals murdered in a series of killings that took place in Florida in 1986. His death was linked to a string of homicides carried out by Manuel Pardo, Jr., a former police officer, who was convicted of multiple counts of first-degree murder. Pardo admitted to intentionally killing his victims, claiming that they were drug dealers who "had no right to live."
His known accomplice, Rolando Garcia, was also implicated in the crimes.
The murders were part of a larger pattern of killings that spanned several months. Alfonso was killed alongside Mario Amador in one of the episodes of double murder. Garcia was initially charged in a multicount indictment that included the murders of Alfonso and Amador, as well as other victims. However, Pardo testified that Garcia had no involvement in the killings. Garcia was later tried separately for the murders of Alfonso and Amador after the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the cases had been improperly joined.
During the investigation, authorities discovered a calendar book in Pardo’s apartment that contained entries corresponding to the dates of each homicide. The book also included newspaper clippings about the murders and numerical counting that indicated the number of victims. Alfonso’s name was among those listed in the book, along with other victims such as Luis Robledo, Ulpiano Ledo, Sara Musa, and Fara Quintero.
Garcia was convicted of the murders of Alfonso and Amador, but his convictions and death sentences were later overturned on appeal. The court determined that the cases lacked sufficient temporal and geographical connections to be tried together. As a result, Garcia was retried separately for the murders of Alfonso and Amador. His legal proceedings continued for years, with multiple appeals and retrials shaping the outcome of his case.
The murders committed by Pardo and Garcia were widely covered in legal and media circles, as they highlighted issues related to law enforcement corruption, drug-related violence, and the complexities of the judicial system. Alfonso’s death remains a significant part of this tragic chapter in Florida’s criminal history.
