Yvonne Serrano, who was convicted in June of second-degree murder in the shooting death of her friend Daniela Tabares, was sentenced this week to life in prison.
The murder of Tabares was shocked her friends and family because it happened suddenly and apparently without motive. Serrano, 55, and Tabares, 21, were fellow members of a Broward gym who were out partying with friends in November 2019 at a World of Beer pub in Coconut Creek.
Jurors learned during the June trial that Serrano and Tabares were seen leaving together in Tabares’ car. The following morning, police were at Serrano’s home in Coral Springs trying to determine why Tabares was lying in her driveway, half in and out of her car, with a gunshot wound to her head.
Police questioned Serrano about the shooting, but she gave them conflicting stories, first denying that she even knew the victim and later admitting they were friends. The murder weapon was in Serrano’s bedroom.
Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, but Broward Circuit Judge Barbara Duffy could have imposed a lesser sentence if she determined it was warranted. She did not.