MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – A 15-year-old who saw her father end her mother's life before killing himself earlier this week was with her best friend's family, police said Friday.
Her nightmare happened Tuesday about 6:35 p.m. in Westchester. Her best friend's parents had temporary custody, as authorities were set to determine who will get permanent custody February.
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The girl was in a car with her mom, Lourdes M. Martinez-Rodriguez, Tuesday when she heard them argue, the shots and saw the blood. She had been living in Miami-Dade with her mom. And her dad, Rafael Baster Sanchez, had recently arrived from Holguin, Cuba, with demands.
"According to investigators, the subject and the victim are husband and wife and have been estranged for some time," Miami-Dade Police Department's Daniel Ferrin said in a news release.
Sanchez, 44, had been living in Fountainebleau, near Miami International Airport.
Sanchez met Martinez-Rodriguez, 43, and his daughter, at a shopping center's parking lot, 8679 SW 24 St. in Westchester. Several people heard the gun shots. The mall has a Ross, a chain-off price department store, a Party City and an Aldi supermarket.
Police said the meeting was to exchange "some property." After an argument, Sanchez pulled out a gun, shot Martinez-Rodriguez and then himself. The girl who was in the car with Martinez-Rodriguez was not shot.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue pronounced Martinez-Rodriguez dead on the scene. Sanchez died at 6:43 a.m., Thursday, at Kendall Regional Medical Center in Southwest Miami-Dade.