FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A man who was found guilty of murdering a woman inside of her Davie home in 2014 has been sentenced to life in prison.
Friday’s sentencing of Dayonte Resiles at the Broward County Courthouse followed an emotional day in court that featured testimony from the families of the victim and the defendant, as well as Resiles himself.
A jury had found him guilty of first-degree murder in a retrial in March.
The defendant’s first trial ended in a mistrial. A juror said someone was unwilling to convict him because of the color of his skin.
Police said Resiles broke into the home of 59-year-old Jill Su and was trying to burglarize it when he found her inside.
The victim’s son, Justin Su, later found her face down in a bathtub with her hands and ankles bound.
Prosecutors for the case told the jury the evidence pointed to Resiles.
Nan-Yao Su, the victim’s husband, did not mince words when addressing the defendant.
“The real evil looks like that. That is the face of evil sitting right there,” he said as he pointed to Resiles.
Before he was sentenced, Resiles addressed the court and denied murdering Su.
“They can hook me up to a polygraph test at any given time, ask me any question they wish, and my answer would remain the same: I did not kill Mrs. Su,” he said.
Resiles’ aunt, Latavis Johnson, said she believes her nephew.
“That’s not a crime that he would have committed, and I stand on that, I put my life on that. I know he didn’t,” she said.
Nan-Yao Su said he’s relieved the trial is over.
“Tomorrow we can start the healing process. It’s an empty victory because no matter what you do, she can’t come back,” he said. “It’s empty, but at least we can live the rest of our lives with some beautiful memories.”
“I’m glad I don’t need to come back to court, be physically here anymore,” said Justin Su. “It’s very nice. I’m going to hopefully go on and enjoy the rest of my life.”
Resiles has 30 days to appeal his sentence.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.