06/12/2026
🚨Jury Delivers Verdict in Death Penalty Case Just Before Midnight🚨
A jury has found Jean Pierre Ojeda Salazar, 27, guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his girlfriend and her 14-year-old daughter. The crime happened in November 2023 at the victims’ apartment in Tampa after the couple got into an argument.
“This case is heartbreaking on every level. A woman lost her life, and her teenage daughter was murdered while courageously trying to protect her. Today’s verdicts hold the defendant accountable for these horrific acts and delivers a measure of justice for a family whose lives have been changed forever,” said State Attorney Suzy Lopez.
Jurors heard from Diana Calderon, a friend who lived with the victim and her two children at The Lodge at Hidden River apartments on Riveredge Drive. Calderon testified that she saw Ojeda Salazar stabbing his girlfriend on the bed when the victim’s 14-year-old daughter came into the room to defend her. Ojeda Salazar proceeded to stab the teenager to death before Calderon ran out of the apartment to seek help.
While Ojeda Salazar did not take the stand, defense attorneys told the jury that the defendant was responsible for stabbing both victims but claims it was a domestic incident that got out of hand. The defense told jurors that it was a case of manslaughter, not murder. But the jurors disagreed.
The case now moves to the penalty phase where the same jurors will decide if Ojeda Salazar should be sentenced to life in prison or receive the death penalty. Assistant State Attorneys Lindsey Hodges and Sheri Maxim successfully prosecuted this case. The Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office represented the defendant.
